Sweat Pea, Apple of My Eye
by maniwashere
Summary: Just the normal runnings of people within House. Well, semi-normal. Hopefully this isn't OOC, but you tell me :  House/Cuddy.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Gregory House sat at the desk of his office, feet propped up on it, reading a medical file, when his door opened. He peered over his reading glasses to see who had entered. "What?" he asked.

"You are _not_ going to give a seven-year-old girl a _brain biopsy_!" Cuddy exclaimed, marching over to House's desk.

House took his feet down and looked at Cuddy straight in the eye. "Well good morning to you, too, Dr. Cuddy," he said.

"House, stop playing games!" Cuddy said loudly. "Why would you even _think_ for a _second_ that you could do a brain biopsy on that child without having _me_ find out about it?"

"Because I know that all you're _really_ thinking about right now is getting me in bed after work," House said with a wink.

Cuddy stood there, flustered. Then she blushed. "What happened to keeping our personal and professional lives separate?"

"Oh, they're still separate," House said.

Cuddy sat in the chair opposite her lover. "Why do you need to do the biopsy?" she asked, now all business.

"Well, Cuddy," House said. "She's sick."

"Duh, House," Cuddy said. "What's wrong with her?"

"Rash, persistent fever, sensitivity to light, and she's hallucinating. Hence why I _need_ the brain biopsy."

"You don't _need_ the biopsy, House," Cuddy negated. "You're bored and you want something cool to do."

House was silent for a moment before saying, "Touché, Cuddy."

"Find another way to find your answer," Cuddy ordered, standing up and heading to the door. "See you tonight." With a smile, she walked out the door and down the hallway.

House went back to reading the medical file on his patient. After five minutes, Chase threw open the door, Thirteen, Taub, and Foreman on his heels. "Girl's developed a constant cough, the hallucinations are getting worse, and her liver's failing," the Aussie told his boss.

"Why can't anyone ever _knock_?" House said, grabbing his cane and marching into his conference room. He wrote the new symptoms on the board. "DDx, go."

"Sarcoidosis," Taub said immediately.

"Lupus." Foreman.

"It's not lupus," said House. "Run markers for all diseases presenting with sensitivity to light."

The team left the room.

The first thing House did when he walked into Wilson's office was take his sandwich.

"You're welcome, I brought it _just_ for you!" Wilson said sarcastically.

"I know you did," House replied.

"Why are you here, House?" Wilson asked, looking up from his paperwork.

"Bored, why else?" House said when Cameron walked in.

"Where's Dr. Hadley?" she asked House. "I need her help."

"Your girlfriend is running tests for me," House said casually as Wilson's jaw dropped.

Cameron stuttered. "She-she's not my girlfriend," she said nervously.

"I honestly don't care if she is or not," House said as Wilson sat silently. "But you're around a lot more often lately, you always stand near her, and you called her _Dr. Hadley_. A few months ago you were calling her Thirteen."

Cameron laughed, saying, "Damn, you're perceptive!" before closing the door and heading off to the lab.

"House, what the hell?" Wilson asked, dumbstruck. "How'd you get her to admit that?"

House stood gingerly and headed toward the door. "It's peer pressure, my dear Wilson," he said before exiting the room.

xxx

"Heard you got Dr. Cameron to admit she's dating Dr. Hadley," Cuddy said as she walked out of the hospital with House later that day.

House laughed. "Wilson." He shook his head.

"How?" She took House's hand as they entered the parking lot.

"I just used my perceptive powers," House said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Wasn't that hard."

"That's pretty smart," Cuddy said as the pair reached her car. She turned to him. "My place?" she asked, hugging him tight to her.

"I'll be over soon," House answered, kissing Cuddy's forehead before walking over to his motorcycle. As he was climbing onto the machine, Cuddy drove up and rolled her window down.

"Yes?" he asked her.

"Bring clothes." Smiling suggestively, she drove off. House smiled and started up his motorcycle.

xxx

"Wake _up_!" Cuddy said, hitting a snoring House in the head with a pillow.

House groaned. "What, woman?" he said, rolling over onto his stomach.

"We're going to be late for work!" Cuddy said, pulling her skirt up.

House gripped her skirt. "Late for what?"

"Work, House," Cuddy said hurriedly. "Let go of my skirt."

"I don't really want to go to work," House said plainly. "Let's stay here, give Marina the day off." He tugged her down on the bed.

"I don't want to stay home," Cuddy said, attempting to stand.

"Yes, you do," House said. "Don't lie."

"House, let me go."

House kissed Cuddy. "Do you want to leave now?"

"Um…" Cuddy laughed.

"Hmm? Hmm?" House said, suddenly excited. "Let's stay home!"

"But you have a case…."

"The team'll take care of it," House said.

"Well…" Cuddy said. "I guess it can't hurt…."

"Yes!" House said. "You can't resist me!"

"Yes I can, House," Cuddy replied smugly.

House kissed her softly. She couldn't resist.

xxx

"Where's House?" Foreman asked as he looked around. Chase, Taub, Thirteen, even Cameron, they were all there. There was no House. Foreman looked at his watch—12:23 PM. _He should be here_, Foreman thought.

"No idea," Chase said, not really paying attention. The team had found out what was wrong with their patient the night before.

"Maybe he's with Cuddy," Taub said. "She didn't come in today."

Thirteen and Cameron were deep in conversation, and didn't hear what Foreman had said.

"I'm going to call," Foreman stated to no one in particular.

"Don't," Taub said. "It's not like we have a case or anything. He'll just raise hell when he gets back. Don't risk it."

Foreman hesitated before deciding to instead finish some paperwork.

xxx

"No one's called today," Cuddy noticed as she came back into the room. She'd left to feed Rachel.

"I figured they might not," House said, looking at the clock. 2:30 PM. "They're pretty predictable.

"How so?" Cuddy asked, climbing into the bed next to him. "Tell me what they're doing."

"Well," House said, stroking Cuddy's hair softly with his calloused hands. "Foreman wondered where I was. Chase said something short, but he wasn't paying attention because he was texting his latest fling. Cameron and Thirteen are together. Again. Foreman got no response from them. Taub didn't want me to chew the group out for calling me when I'm not there, after he suggested that I was with you. He told Foreman not to call."

"Foreman listened to Taub?" Cuddy said incredulously.

"Yup. They're a lot alike, they listen to each other."

"Hmm. Good to know."

"Mhm," House said, sounding tired.

"What's up?" Cuddy said, reaching up to touch House's face.

"You wear me out, woman!" House said laughing. "You're insatiable."

"Am I now?" Cuddy said. "You love it, you know it."

"I can't lie, now can I?" House said.

"Nope," Cuddy answered. "Because I know when you are."

"Oh really?"

"Of course. I know you."

"I slept with Wilson's mom. And sister."

"Wilson's mother is dead and he doesn't have a sister," Cuddy responded matter-of-factly.

"Oh, you're good," House said. "But that was a stupid lie. I've got much more that are harder to see through."

"Oh really?" Cuddy said. "Well, I learned from the best." She smiled.

xxx

Foreman, Taub, Chase, Thirteen, and Cameron turned their heads to the door, hearing the song "Lovely Day" wafting down the hall and recognizing their boss's voice.

"Case?" House said, throwing his bag into his office.

"Nope," Chase replied, on his phone.

"Bye."

House walked down the hallway and into Wilson's office.

"Yes?" Wilson said without raising his head.

"Nothing," House said, plopping down on the couch against the wall, minding his leg.

"Then why are you here?"

"No reason," House said. "I don't have a case. Thought I'd visit."

"What do you need, House?" Wilson pressed. "I don't have the time. There's a board meeting in a half an hour that I need to be ready for."

"Nothing," House repeated. "I'll go. Bye, pansy." House walked out of Wilson's office and towards the elevators.

Taking some flowers from the nurses' station, House entered Cuddy's office to find her in a state similar to Wilson's.

"Hey," he said, sitting on her couch. He put the flowers in a vase on the coffee table.

"What do you need?" Cuddy asked, organizing papers on her desk.

"I'm bored," House said. "I brought you flowers."

Cuddy peered over at the flowers and at House. "Thank you for the flowers from the nurses' station, House," she answered, giving him a peck on the cheek.

House laughed. "How'd you know?"

"Because I know you," she said, sitting next to him. "And I see them everyday when I go to my office."

"Damn, should've figured that," House replied.

"Yup. So what do you need again?"

"Nothing. I'm just bored."

"Don't you have a case?" Cuddy asked.

"Apparently they solved it while we took the day off," House replied.

"Which we shouldn't have done, by the way," Cuddy said. "I'm so unprepared for this meeting today." She rested her head on House's shoulder.

House looked down at her. "If you're so unprepared, why are you sitting here laying on me?"

"You're comfortable," Cuddy said. "And I'm just going to wing it."

"So you enjoyed the day off?" House asked. "Conceded to my amazing powers of persuasion?"

"Of course."

"Well, we'll have to do it more often then!" House said, taking his girlfriend's hands. "How about once a week?"

"Nope," Cuddy said. "Once a month."

"That's still a lot of time for us to spend together," House said happily.

Cuddy smiled, excited to know that House planned on sticking around for some time.

xxx

"House, where were you?" Foreman asked when House returned.

"Well, I visited Wilson, Cuddy," House said. "And then I went out for a bit."

"Yesterday, House," Foreman pressed. "Where were you yesterday?"

"In a place," House said shortly. He turned to Chase. "Go home."

"What?" Chase said, finally looking up from his phone.

"Nothing, I needed your attention," House replied. "Figured it'd shock you if I told you that you could go home."

"Thanks," Chase said, slumping.

House already had Taub's attention. He turned to Thirteen, who was busy talking on the phone.

House walked over and grabbed her phone. "Your girlfriend will be by to see you later. Bye," he said to Cameron, pressing the end button.

"Thanks, House," Thirteen said sarcastically. "I actually didn't feel like being on the phone or anything."

"Well then, I saved you from a boring conversation!" House said. "I need a case."

"There are no cases, House," Chase said.

"Go find me one," House replied. "I don't care how easy it is. Go!"

His team walked out of the room and he walked into his office. Sitting in his chair and lifting his legs to the top, he fell asleep.

About an hour later, he heard someone calling his name. Opening his eyes slowly, House smiled at what he saw.

"Hi, Cuddy!" House said happily. He pulled her over to him and sat her gingerly on his lap.

"Where's your team?" Cuddy asked, leaning tiredly against her beau. "I figured I might see them."

"They're working on cases," House explained. "I think I scared them into not bothering me."

"That's something you do quite well," Cuddy agreed, a smile in her voice.

"It's my job," House said. "I have to do it well."

"Of course you do."

They sat silently for several minutes. Then the door opened suddenly and House's team walked in. Cuddy jumped up, quickly turning red.

"Don't worry about it, we've known since it started," Thirteen said. "House, we found a case."

"Cool," House said. When he noticed Cuddy looking at him, he said, "Wasn't me!"

"You two have been taking off the same days and you go to her office a bit more now, House," Taub said. "It's kind of obvious."

Cuddy nodded slightly. "I'll leave you guys to this, then," she said, leaving the room silently.

"What's the case?" House said apathetically.

xxx

House didn't go home that night, the case was too intensive. On her way out, Cuddy brought him some dinner. She gave him a kiss, said, "Goodnight," and went home for the night.

It was 7 AM before House decided to go home. Extremely sleep deprived, he decided to take the shortest distance and drove to Cuddy's.

Cuddy, clad in a robe and a towel on her head, answered the door. "House, what are you doing here?" she wondered.

"Didn't want to risk driving home," House responded. "I need sleep."

"You taking the day off?" Cuddy asked as they walked back to her bedroom.

"No," House said, shrugging off his coat and falling into the bed. "I'll be in around noon."

Cuddy took off House's sneakers. "Okay," she said. "Morning, House."

"Love you, Cuddy," he responded, half-asleep.

"Love you, too, House," Cuddy answered. She got dressed and headed off to work, letting Marina know that House was welcome.

xxx

"You're late," Chase said the next day as House walked into the conference room.

"And Foreman's an ass," House said. "Are we done stating the obvious?" Foreman looked at House dubiously.

"We have a case," Thirteen said, handing House the file.

"Oh my, you're actually here today!" House said sarcastically. "I'm so excited!"

"House, shut up for once and just read the file," Thirteen said.

"Oh, someone's tense!" House teased. "What happened, did you and Cameron have a fight?"

The team looked at Thirteen in shock, which prompted her to say, "I'm _not_ dating Cameron!"

"Sure would explain why she's here so much," Taub said quietly.

"And why she only talks to you," Chase said, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"I'm _not_ dating Cameron!" Thirteen reiterated angrily. "God, leave it alone."

The men just stared.

"Can we get back to the case, please?" Thirteen said, taking a seat at the table. The others followed suit. She continued. "The patient's a 25-year-old male, pain in the head, neck, and arms, hair is falling out but no presence of radiation, chills but his temp is normal…."

xxx

"House!" Cameron said as she spied him heading to the clinic and Cuddy's office. She sped up as he tried to limp away. Touching his arm, she repeated. "House, hey!"

"Oh, hi, Cameron," House said. "I didn't see you there." He desperately looked for an escape, failing to find one.

"Come here!" she said angrily, pulling him hastily into an empty patient room.

"What the hell?" House asked her. "What do you _want_?"

"Can you _not_ out me until I've told everyone else?" she said curtly. "I'd rather _not_ have everyone know right now. Stop being an ass!" With that, she walked out of the room.

xxx

**A/N:**

**So, how'd you all like it (if you even read it xD)? I personally don't like my style of writing, but I guess it's up to the person reading it. I promise there'll be much more, but I don't know how fast I'll update. Hopefully soon. But anyway, keep reading if you liked it. Be honest if you review, and give me tips! I can always implement something to make this story better :) I love you all 3**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I'm going to kick your ass!" Cuddy shouted at House in all seriousness.

"No you're not," House said teasingly. "No one can beat me!"

It was 1:30 in the morning and House and Cuddy sat in bed playing _Grand Theft Auto_. Cuddy was winning.

"I'm already kicking your ass, House!" Cuddy said, giving him a distracted kiss on the cheek. "I've kicked it twice."

"Oh, shut up!" House laughed, capturing Cuddy's lips with his own.

She laughed. "Stop trying to distract me, House!" Cuddy said, trying to keep her voice down for the sleeping child in the next room.

His phone rang then. "What?" he answered. "It's one-thirty in the morning, I'm trying to sleep!" Cuddy giggled at the statement.

"House, we all know you're not sleeping," Cuddy heard Thirteen say on the other end of the line. "Patient's O2 Sats are dropping and her kidneys are failing."

"And you need me because…?" House asked, leaving the question open-ended and returning to the game he was playing with Cuddy.

Cuddy heard the phone click. "Your team knows you so well."

"What do you mean?" House asked, somewhat distracted.

"They know you," Cuddy repeated. "Anyone else would've tried to answer that question."

"That's true," House said. "I should use that to my advantage."

"Don't torture the poor souls."

"I will, I promise." Cuddy smacked House's chest.

XXX

"What did House tell you?" Chase asked as Thirteen came back into the room. "The patient's kidneys were still failing, but the oxygen mask helped the O2 Sats to return to normal.

" 'And you need me because…?'" Thirteen responded. She sat in one of the seats next to the patient's bed.

"So he's not coming?"

"No, I think he's playing video games with Cuddy," Thirteen informed him.

Chase looked at her. "What?"

"I heard _Grand Theft Auto_ and laughs in the background," Thirteen explained.

"Ah."

It was silent for several minutes. Then—"So, you and Cameron, huh?"

Thirteen looked at Chase. "I thought I told you guys to shut up about that," she said. "I'm not, nor have I ever, dating or dated Dr. Allison Cameron."

Chase just stared.

XXX

"Do you want anything to eat?" Cuddy asked the next morning.

"Like what?" House asked, pulling on his shirt.

"No idea," Cuddy said, walking to her kitchen. House followed. She opened her fridge. "I have fruit and waffles. And Jimmy Dean."

"Jimmy Dean," House answered immediately. "Cuddy. Fruit and waffles?" He made his way to the table.

Cuddy threw the dish in the microwave and came to stand behind House, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Fruit and waffles is delicious," she said. "I only bought the Jimmy Dean after I started seeing you."

"You eat that _every_ morning?" House asked in disbelief.

Cuddy nodded. "Well, sometimes I eat your Jimmy Dean. But most times, yes."

House turned to face Cuddy. "How do you _live_?" he asked, laughing all the while.

Cuddy kissed him. "Because you're better than food, duh," she answered.

The microwave went off then. "Be right back," Cuddy said, walking to the microwave. House slumped back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"You okay?" Cuddy asked once she got back to the table. She placed House's meal in front of him and then sat down.

"Just tired," House said. "Nothing out of the ordinary." He winked at Cuddy. "Eat up."

"It's not my food, House," Cuddy said as he lifted the forkful of breakfast sausage to her mouth.

"One bite! Just one."

Cuddy took one bite.

"You can never resist me," House said, laughing loudly. "Now _that's_ funny."

"I can resist you if I want to," Cuddy said as the doorbell rang.

"You're on. Ten bucks says you can't go till you leave work without seeing me," House shouted to Cuddy, who was opening the door.

"Deal," Cuddy said, walking back into the kitchen. "Now, get out of my house."

House stood, suppressing a smile. "Don't have to tell me twice."

XXX

"Where's Thirteen?" was the first thing out of House's mouth as he walked into his office.

"Late," Foreman said, uninterested. "Why are you so early?"

House checked the time. "I have a bet going. And I had no choice but to come straight here."

"Oh." No one asked for any sort of clarification.

"Do we have a case?" House asked, a plan in mind.

"No," Chase answered, making himself a cup of coffee.

"I'm going to the clinic then. Bye." The team looked dumbfounded at their boss's retreating figure.

House made his way to the elevator. The doors started close as he reached them, and he stuck his cane through. The doors opened up then, and he stepped in.

"Oh, Wilson, hey!" House said, playing nice.

"I heard about your bet," Wilson responded. "Where're you going?" House heard the suspicion in Wilson's voice.

"Just going to do some clinic duty, that's all," House answered as the elevator stopped on their floor. "So long, Dr. Wilson!"

"This is wrong, House," Wilson called after him. House ignored it.

He approached the doors to the clinic, being sure to avoid seeing Cuddy. He headed straight to the waiting area.

"Anthony?" he called, a mischievous look on his face.

XXX

"Dr. Cuddy?" the nurse said, poking her head into Cuddy's office. Cuddy motioned her in, never taking her eyes off the laptop on her desk.

"What do you need?" she asked.

"The patients are… angry," the nurse said hesitantly.

Cuddy looked up at her. "House?"

The nurse nodded. We need you to talk to him.

Cuddy started to stand, then remembered her bet with House, realizing what he was doing. "Um, can you call Dr. Wilson here, please?" she asked, not going along with House's whims.

The nurse gave Cuddy a confused look. However, she complied, leaving Cuddy's office to place the call. Wilson came about two minutes later.

"House?" he asked, referring to the commotion outside. When Cuddy nodded, he added, "He's trying to win the bet?"

"Yup," Cuddy said. "Can you handle it? He's not winning this."

Wilson gave her a look. "Cuddy. It's only ten bucks. Why can't you do it?"

"I'm trying to prove a point," was her reply.

"Fine," Wilson said reluctantly. "You two are perfect for each other. You're both so stubborn!" With that, Wilson left the room. Cuddy laughed at how childish he sounded while saying that.

XXX

"You're good, Cuddy," House praised, handing her twenty dollars in the parking lot after work.

"Why twenty?" she asked him. "And thanks."

House grabbed Cuddy in a hug. "An apology for the clinic earlier."

She kissed him. "You know you just wanted to see me," she laughed. "I told you I could resist you, House."

"You were right," House said. "Not that you would want to. I mean, I am a sex god."

Cuddy laughed. "You're right."

"My place?" House suggested, pulling Cuddy even closer.

"Can I bring Rachel?" Cuddy asked guiltily. "I promised Marina the night off."

"I guess, if you _have_ to," House conceded, smiling slightly.

Cuddy brought her hand around, looking at the time. "It's 9:30. She's sleeping for the rest of the night."

"She'd better be," House said. "Pizza Hut for dinner?"

"Fine by me," Cuddy said, stepping away. "I'll be over soon."

"I'll be there." House made his way to his Corvette.

XXX

"This pizza is delicious," Cuddy said as she sat on House's couch. Rachel was in the corner of the living room, dozing.

House brought Cuddy a beer and then sat down net to her. "Besides homemade pizza, nothing's better!" he said.

"I guess that's true," Cuddy said, raising her bottle. "Cheers."

"Cheers," House repeated.

"How was your day without seeing me?" Cuddy asked, taking a sip of her drink. "Bet it was amazing."

"Horrible," House answered. "Let's never make that bet again!"

"Deal."

The pair sat for several minutes in silence, not paying any particular attention to the show playing on the television. Cuddy broke the silence.

"I'm so tired," she said, leaning her head on House's shoulder. He nodded in agreement, she felt.

"Me too," House answered. "Get your heavy head off my arm."

Cuddy laughed, and then took the outstretched hand that House had offered. She threw a glance at her sleeping daughter.

"Rachel'll be fine," House said. "Let's get you to bed, mistress."

Cuddy didn't offer any resistance as House led her to his room. Once inside, she stripped to her underwear, put on one of House's shirts, and climbed into the bed. Her beau followed suit, and she hugged him close.

"Good night, House," Cuddy said, giving him a kiss on the chin.

"Night, mistress."

XXX

House rolled over the next morning to find a sleeping Cuddy, her raven hair strewn over her face. He smiled at the sight.

Cuddy awoke a few minutes later. "Hi," she said groggily, smiling up at House. He offered a smile back.

"You snore."

Cuddy threw House an exasperated look. "Thanks, she said sarcastically. "Didn't keep you up, did I?"

"You're lucky I was just as tired as you were," House said. "I only heard you when I woke up."

"Well that's good then," Cuddy said, rolling over to put her arms around House.

"Can we stay home?" House asked. "Please?"

Cuddy laughed at House's groveling. "No, we just stayed home a couple days ago!"

"Please?" House asked again. He gave her fake puppy dog eyes.

"How about," Cuddy began, propping her head on her hand and looking House in the eye, "We stay here and go in at two?"

"Deal," House replied.

XXX

"Case?" House asked as he walked into the room later that day. He threw his bag in a chair, sitting at the end of the table.

"28-year-old female with incredible chest pain, paralysis in the lower limbs, and decreased peripheral vision," Foreman responded, sliding the case file across the glass table and into House's waiting hands. "Where've you been?" he asked.

"At home," House answered, in a tone that implied that the statement should've been obvious. "I took a half day. Hence why I came in at _two_."

"You don't look like you're sick," Foreman pressed.

"Do you ever just shut up?" House asked suddenly, which effectively shut Foreman up.

"The patient also has some decreased brain function and her liver is shutting down," Thirteen interjected, trying to direct attention back to the case.

"Run a scratch test," House directed at Thirteen. "Chase, get more background. Taub, search the House for environmental toxins. Foreman, go home." House started to stand. Foreman continued to sit, arms crossed.

"No, seriously. Go home," House told him. "Come back tomorrow, I don't need you."

"House," Foreman called to the figure retreating into his office. When he got no response, he packed up his things and went home for the day.

Wilson entered the office a few minutes later. "Why'd you send Foreman home?" he immediately asked.

" 'Cause," House replied. Wilson just stared at him. "He wouldn't shut up about my life."

Wilson laughed at the admission. "He wouldn't shut up about you, so you sent him home?" he said. "They do that everyday!"

"He wouldn't stop pressing me to give up the real reason why I didn't come in until two," House said.

"Your team knows you're seeing Cuddy, though," Wilson said. "Why don't you just tell them?"

"I don't divulge details of my personal life, Wilson," House told his best friend. "You know that."

Wilson stood then. "Stop sending your team members home because they ask a question," he said, walking to the door. "Just don't answer their questions next time." With that, Wilson walked out.

XXX

"He sent foreman home?" Cameron asked Thirteen as they sat in the cafeteria together, eating dinner.

"Yup," Thirteen answered, taking a bite of her salad. "Told him to leave."

"But _why_?" Cameron emphasized.

"He kept asking him why he didn't come in until two," Thirteen explained. "Then House asked him if he ever shuts up."

"Ah," Cameron realized. "That makes sense. House doesn't like to be pushed."

"I know," Thirteen said. "But would he really send him home because of that? We question him all the time."

"From what I know, Foreman pushes him the most," Cameron responded. "It's annoying."

"I guess that's true," Thirteen said, pondering the thought.

XXX

As the patient history had already been done, Chase accompanied Taub on his trip to the patient's house.

"There's some old copper tubing in here," Chase called to Taub from the basement as he took a sample.

"I'm taking samples of the paint," Taub answered. "The house is old, it could contain some lead."

"Good idea," Chase said as he ascended from the basement. "I'll check the bedroom."

"Okay," Taub responded, searching the cabinets.

"Jackpot!" Chase called a few minutes later.

"What'd you find?" Taub asked him, coming up the stairs.

"Mold," Chase said from the bathroom. "And lots of it."

XXX

"Why'd you tell Foreman to go home?" Cuddy asked as she marched into House's office later that day.

"He was annoying me," House replied, not looking up from his computer screen. "I was tired of hearing him talk."

Cuddy shut the laptop. "He annoyed you, so you sent him home?" Cuddy asked. "What the hell?"

"I didn't need him around if he was going to groan and complain the whole time," House fired back, a bit heated.

"What exactly did he do?" Cuddy asked, voice raised. He hands were gripping the back of the seat tightly, knuckles white.

"He wouldn't back off the reason why I was late," House answered in a dismissed tone.

"So you sent him home," Cuddy said quietly, "Because he wouldn't shut up and leave you alone?"

House nodded.

"You can't just _do_ that, House!" Cuddy shouted. "You have a case. You need every team member you can get. If you don't have a case, then sure, send him home, I don't care. Not when you do!"

"Cuddy," House stated. "I'm pretty sure the three of them can handle the case. I can send Foreman home when I feel like it!"

Cuddy ran her hands through her hair. "You are so damn insufferable!" she said loudly. "And no. You're not allowed to send _anyone_ else home when you have a case. Got it?" She marched herself out before House could give her an answer.

House watched Cuddy's retreating figure disappear, then leaned back and rubbed his face in frustration. He sat alone for several minutes before Thirteen entered.

"Scratch test was negative," she said as she entered the room.

"Run a full chem panel," House responded.

Thirteen started to walk out, then looked back. "You okay, House?" she asked him.

"I'm good. Chem panel?" was all he responded with, shooing her away. Thirteen left the room silently.

XXX

"House!" Chase and Taub said excitedly as they entered the room about 35 minutes later.

"What?" House answered, not really paying attention.

"We found everything," Chase said, opening the door to the conference room. Taub followed, but House stayed put.

"You coming?" Taub asked, looking expectantly at his boss.

"Nope," House said. "Tell me what you found, then go test it."

Taub and Chase stood dumbfounded for a moment before collecting themselves.

"Um," Chase said. "Bathroom full of mold, possible lead paint, things of the sort."

"Go," House said. Chase and Taub left the room.

XXX

Cuddy was in bed when she heard the doorbell ring. She looked at the clock—it was well past midnight. She rolled out of bed and slowly walked to the door. Peering out the window, she saw flowers.

House gave them to her when she opened the door. "I'm sorry," he said.

Cuddy smiled and let House in.

XXX

**Second chapter. I'm not entirely sure how good it is or not, but I guess that's up to you to let me know. I just haven't really ever been a good writer xD But thanks to the (few) people who reviewed the first chapter, they really helped me out a lot **** I love you all, spread this story to your friends, too! 3**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Why are you so nice to me?" Cuddy asked House later that night as they lay in bed together.

"I'm nice to you?" House said, astonished. "Oh no, that's got to change!"

Cuddy smacked House on the arm. "Shut up, I'm serious!" she said. "Why are you so nice to me?"

"Do you not like it when I'm nice to you?" House asked her quietly.

"No, I love it!" Cuddy said reassuringly. "I just want to know why. It's unusual."

House hesitated for a moment before saying, "Because I love you."

Cuddy smiled at the fact that this was the first time that House had said that while not under the influence of sleep. It was very out-of-character for him.

"Oh, really?" Cuddy asked. House nodded, and she said, "I kind of like you, too."

"You'd better," House said. "Or else I'd have to shoot you."

"You wouldn't," Cuddy challenged him.

"Paintball?" House suggested slyly.

"Do I look like the kind of person who would play paintball, House?" Cuddy asked him.

"Do you look like the kind of person who would date the infamous Gregory House?" he pointed out.

Cuddy thought about it some. "True," she said, trailing off.

"So you want to try it?" House asked. "Do you?"

"When?"

"Saturday," House said. "And we can invite Wilson and Sam, too!"

"Do whatever you want, House," Cuddy said. "I'm sleeping."

House laughed. "Night, Cuddy. I'm sorry."

"It's forgotten, House," she answered.

XXX

"How does Sam feel about paintball?" House asked Wilson the next day as his team ran tests on his patient.

"Why don't you ask her?" Wilson suggested, not looking up from his patient file.

"You're the one she's with," House said. "I shouldn't have to ask her."

"How does that make sense?" Wilson asked him.

"Just call her and ask," House deflected. He picked up Wilson's phone and dialed Sam's number, handing it to him.

Wilson glowered at House. "Hey, Sam," Wilson said into the phone when she answered. "House wanted to know if you're up for paintball… Saturday… Me, you, House, and Cuddy… Okay, cool… Love you, bye." He hung up the phone.

"What'd she say?" House asked him immediately after he hung up the phone.

"She said that she can't wait," Wilson admitted. "What time are we on?"

House stood. "Noon," he said. "Be ready to have your ass handed to you!" He laughed and walked out of the room.

"House!" Taub called from the end of the hallway.

"What?" House was heading towards the elevator.

"We solved the case!" Taub told him, naming the patient's sickness.

"Great," House said. "Go do some clinic hours."

"Um, okay?" Taub said slowly, climbing into the elevator with House. It was silent the whole ride down.

Once the elevator stopped, House stepped out quickly, making his way to Cuddy's office. Bypassing her latest assistant, he walked straight into her office, taking a seat in the chair across from her.

"Yes?" Cuddy said after House sat silent and unmoving.

"Saturday," House said. "Noon. You in?" He placed his hands on the top of his cane.

"Do I have a choice?" Cuddy conceded.

"Nope."

"Is it going to be outside?" Cuddy asked. "Because it's freezing."

"I'm not that stupid, Cuddy," House said. "It's mid-January. Why would paintball be outside?"

"Just wondering," she answered.

XXX

As Thirteen left for the day, she noticed that it was snowing lightly. She shrugged on her coat and walked out of the conference room, heading towards the elevators.

The elevator doors opened and Thirteen was somewhat surprised to see Cameron standing there. "Hey," she said, entering the elevator.

"Remy, hey, I was just coming to see you," Cameron declared, letting the doors close behind her.

"What's up?" Thirteen asked, looking at her.

"Would you mind helping out in the ER?" she asked. "There are too many patients because of the snow. Not enough doctors."

"Fine by me," Thirteen said willingly. She'd do anything if it meant spending time with Cameron.

"Thanks so much," Cameron told her as the elevator stopped on their floor. She kissed Thirteen quickly before the doors opened, then walked out to face her patients. Thirteen followed suit.

XXX

House awoke the next morning in Cuddy's bed, body facing the window. He slowly opened his eyes, and was both mortified and excited by what he saw.

Letting Cuddy continue to sleep, he climbed out of the bed and went to the front door, slowly opening it. His belief was confirmed.

"Cuddy!" House called, walking into the bedroom. "_Cuddy_!"

"Hrm?" she groaned, rolling over.

House climbed back into the bed. "Cuddy, wake up!" he said.

"House, what?" Cuddy said tiredly, not opening her eyes.

"We're snowed in."

Cuddy's eyes flew open and landed on him. "What?"

"We're snowed in," House repeated.

"No, we're not!" Cuddy said in disbelief. "Stop lying to me, House."

"Good to know you have so much faith in me," he said quietly. "Look outside."

Looking at House in disbelief, Cuddy scrambled out of the bed and over to the window. "Damn," she uttered, running to open the front door and see what the outside actually looked like.

"Why are you so flustered, Cuddy?" House asked as she came back into the room.

"Because, House," Cuddy said. "I had an important meeting today and now I can't even go in?"

"Cuddy, calm down," House told her, pulling her back to the bed. "Have one of the people snowed in at the hospital reschedule it."

"I don't know who's snowed in!" Cuddy said, slightly panicked.

"Which is exactly why you _call_," House emphasized. "And plus. Being stuck here won't be so bad."

"What makes you say that?" Cuddy asked him, picking up the phone.

"Because," House said, "You're stuck with me." He gave Cuddy a sly smile.

XXX

"Hello?" Cameron answered after picking up the phone at the nurses' station. "Oh, hi, Dr. Cuddy! Yes… Of course I can… Okay… I'll see you as soon as the snow clears up… Okay… Okay, bye Dr. Cuddy."

"What was that?" Thirteen asked, sitting in a chair and eating a bag of chips.

"I have to reschedule a meeting for Cuddy," Cameron answered, dialing the number that Cuddy had given her.

"Fun," Thirteen said apathetically.

After placing the call, Cameron said, "So everyone's snowed in at home?"

"Everyone but the night shift," Thirteen told her. "They're here with us."

"Ah," Cameron acknowledged.

"Anyway," Thirteen said. "I don't know about you, but I've been awake for over 24 hours. I'm going to grab some sleep in the lounge. You in?"

"Of course," Cameron said. After checking to see if the halls were free of hospital employees, she took Thirteen's hand in hers.

XXX

"Cameron's taking care of rescheduling for me," Cuddy informed House, placing the phone back in its holder.

"Will you come back now?" House asked, opening his arms. "I'm cold, Mommy."

Cuddy climbed into House's arms. "I'm all yours," she said.

"Why are you so happy now?" House asked. "Are you bipolar?"

"Because I'm stuck with you all day," Cuddy said.

"Most people would make some sort of attempt to get away," House said quietly.

"Well, I'm that one person who wouldn't," Cuddy reassured him.

House smiled. "So, what so we do now?" he asked, turning to lie on his side. "It's only 5 AM."

"How about you go back to sleep and I do some yoga?" Cuddy suggested, moving to get up.

House pulled her back down. "Or you could stay with me," he refuted. "I like that idea better."

"I have the whole day with you," Cuddy said. "Possibly tomorrow, too. Let me have one hour."

House though for a moment, then said, "Fine. But give me till seven before you wake me."

"Deal."

XXX

"You snowed in, too?" Foreman asked Chase over the phone.

"Yup," Chase answered. "How long do you think it'll last?"

"We'll be back tomorrow," Foreman said.

"50 bucks says we're snowed in for longer than that."

"You're on."

XXX

"Are you awake?" Thirteen asked Cameron when she woke up three hours later.

"Yeah," Cameron answered. "What's up?"

"How long do you think we'll be stuck here?" Thirteen asked her, looking at the ceiling and folding her hands over her chest.

"No idea," Cameron answered quietly. "It's pretty nasty out there. Might be awhile."

"This isn't good," Thirteen stated. "Damn blizzard. This would happen when I'm here."

"I'm sorry," Cameron said. "I shouldn't have kept you here."

"It's fine, you needed the help," Thirteen said. "And this place is better than my apartment, anyway."

"How so?" Cameron asked, making small talk.

"My bed is scratchy," Thirteen told her, avoiding the real reason.

"Oh."

XXX

"I'm bored," House said to Cuddy later that day.

"Can't help that," Cuddy said, helping herself to an afternoon helping of salad. "Go play in the snow with Rachel."

"It's too cold to be out there," House said, watching Cuddy's adoptive daughter playing with her toys on the floor.

"Then play with her in here," Cuddy said. "I can't give you any more suggestions."

House sighed heavily. "No other suggestions, are you serious?"

"Yup," Cuddy said. "Want some salad?"

"Don't like green food," House stated simply. "You know that."

"Want a hamburger?" Cuddy asked him.

"Um, fine."

Cuddy walked into the kitchen to make House's food, and he remained there on the couch, watching Rachel play with her toys. He'd started to daydream when he felt a tap on his leg. Looking down, he saw Rachel, smiling and holding a toy up to him, wanting him to take it.

"You want me to play with you?" House said. When Rachel nodded, he surprised himself by easing his body to the floor and taking up a toy for himself.

Cuddy entered the room then, and instantly smiled at what she saw. House was playing with her daughter, seemingly happy. She stood in the doorway for what seemed like hours, watching he daughter and House interact with one another.

After House had played Rachel to sleep, he put her in the crib and returned to the couch. It was then that he noticed Cuddy. "What?" he asked her.

She slowly made her way over to the couch. "That was… different," she told him. "Sweet."

"Shut up," House laughed. "I though she wouldn't leave me alone until I played with her."

"You played for an _hour_," Cuddy emphasized, turning to face House.

"Did I really?" he said in disbelief.

"Yeah!" Cuddy told him. "And you look like you enjoyed it."

"Oh, did I now?" House asked playfully.

"Mhm. Did you enjoy it, House?"

House thought for a minute. "Maybe a little bit."

"House likes babies!" Cuddy teased him.

"Shut up, Cuddles!" House said, silencing her with a kiss.

"That's cheating!" she complained.

"No, it's not," House said, kissing her again. "It's winning."

Cuddy let House kiss her for some time before saying, "You're a loser, House."

"Are you kidding me?" House said, looking at Cuddy in false disbelief.

"Nope. You're a loser."

"You're a liar," House said.

"No, I'm not!" Cuddy laughed.

"Prove it."

"How do I do that?" Cuddy asked.

"I don't know," House said. "You've got to figure it out."

"How am I supposed to figure that out?" Cuddy asked.

"You'll know," was all House said.

"I hate when you make cryptic remarks," Cuddy told House.

"I know."

XXX

"Can we go to the ER?" Thirteen asked. "If I'm stuck here, I might as well work."

"I'm sure they can use us," Cameron agreed. "Just let me get changed first, okay?"

"I'm going to grab a shower," Thirteen told her. She took Cameron's hand and together they walked to the locker room.

"I'll be waiting," Cameron said with a smile as Thirteen took a towel from her locker. Cameron pulled some scrubs from her locker and headed for the changing area within the locker room.

After 25 minutes, both doctors were dressed and ready to work. They took their time getting to the ER, walking slowly and taking the stairs.

"New patients?" Cameron asked a nurse using an administrative tone.

"Plenty," the nurse replied. "Take your pick. Most are car accidents."

"Figures," Cameron said. "Thanks."

The nurse took off, and Cameron handed Thirteen some case files. "Have fun," she told her, walking off with her own cases.

Thirteen looked around the ER, empty of doctors but full of patients. She looked at her cases and found one for a seven-year-old girl. She found the little girl and walked over to her.

"Hey," Thirteen said, trying to make the girl feel better. "What's your name?"

"Jessica," the girl responded.

"Hi, Jessica," Thirteen said. "I'm Remy."

"Hi, Remy."

"Hi, honey. Now, how old are you?"

"Seven," Jessica said.

"Seven is a fun age," Thirteen said. "Now, what's wrong?"

"Mom got in a car accident," Jessica said. "My arm hurts."

"Okay, which one?" Thirteen questioned.

"The right one," the girl said.

"Okay, sweetie," Thirteen said. "Nothing else hurts?"

"No," Jessica answered.

"Okay," Thirteen said. "Now Jessica, we're going to take you to get an x-ray, okay?"

"Why?" The girl clutched her stuffed animal.

"We need to check to see if your arm is broken," Thirteen explained. "If it is, we have to take care of it. But we need to know first."

"Oh."

"Mhm. So you stay here, and I'll have one of these nice nurses take you to get the x-ray, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Remy." Jessica offered Thirteen a smile.

She spent the rest of her day treating patients of all ages, most of them not having anything more than a scratch or two on them from minor accidents.

"Having fun?" Cameron asked her when she found her in the cafeteria.

"It's actually not that bad," Thirteen said thoughtfully.

"You don't have to deal with it everyday," Cameron told her.

Thirteen laughed. "Poor you, having to deal with whiny people all day."

"Shut up," Cameron laughed.

XXX

"Cuddy," House said later that night as they lay in bed together. It was nearing midnight.

She turned to face him. "What?"

"I'm bored," he complained for what seemed to her as the umpteenth time.

"House," Cuddy sighed. "It's midnight. Go to sleep."

"I don't want to."

"You're so juvenile," Cuddy complained.

"I know."

"Maybe if you go to sleep, I'll give us another snow day tomorrow," Cuddy said, giving in to House's unspoken whims.

"Maybe?" House inquired.

"I'll definitely give us a day off tomorrow. Or whenever it's safe enough for us to go back to work," Cuddy revised.

House kissed her cheek. "I guess I can live with that. Night, Cuddy."

"Goodnight, House."

XXX

Foreman woke up the next morning, both grateful and disappointed to see that the roads had been cleared and he could return to work. Grateful because there was only so much you can do by yourself before you start to get bored, and he was coming into 50 bucks; disappointed because returning to work meant returning to House. Despite his best judgment, he got dressed, packed up his things, and headed out to his car to begin the day.

XXX

After spending another night in the hospital because of snow, Thirteen and Cameron were delighted to see that the roads had been cleared and they could go home. After getting dressed in two-day-old clothes, they departed, heading off to their respective homes to take a nice shower and nap before heading back into work.

XXX

"Cuddy," House said, nudging her to wake up. "Guess what."

"Hmm?" she responded, shielding her eyes from the sun as she turned to face him.

"The roads are clear," he said. "Day off?"

"Uh, yeah," Cuddy answered. "Go back to sleep."

House heard Rachel cry then, and, not being able to sleep, said, "I'll get her." Cuddy thanked him as he gingerly eased himself off the bed.

House made his way down the hall quietly, hearing Rachel's cries become louder and louder as he got closer to her room. Once he reached it, he opened the door slowly and entered.

Rachel was standing in her crib, reaching out when she saw House enter. He walked over to her and picked her up, sitting in the chair next to her bed. "What's going on?" he asked, realizing that he was being unnaturally friendly towards this child. "What do you need?"

"Thirsty," Rachel said slowly, looking up at House.

He picked Rachel up and set her on his hip, limping towards the kitchen. "What is it you want, little Cuddles?"

"Juice!" Cuddy's daughter said happily.

House opened the fridge and spied a small bottle of grape juice. He took it out of the fridge and said, "Do you want this?" House handed her the bottle of juice when she reached her hands out and nodded, and sat down at the table.

He took Rachel back to her room after she finished her drink and promptly fell asleep. He placed her gently in her crib and then quietly returned to Cuddy's room.

"Where'd you go?" Cuddy asked, hugging House as he returned to her bed.

"Rachel wanted juice," he told her. "I couldn't sleep, remember? I got it for her."

"That was nice," Cuddy said tiredly. "Thank you, House."

"Anytime," he told her with a smile in his voice.

"I can't sleep," Cuddy said about a half an hour later.

"Neither can I," House replied.

"You can never sleep, House," she said, laughing.

"I know. Can't really help that."

"Do you want to order some breakfast?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry," House agreed. "Where do we order from, though?"

"We could go out," Cuddy suggested. "I was thinking IHOP. Rach loves pancakes."

"I guess," House said. "You're lucky I like pancakes, too."

"Why is that?"

"If I didn't, I'd stay here and go through your personal belongings."

"Because that hasn't happened before," Cuddy said, rolling out of the bed.

"True," House said. "But this time, I wouldn't have cleaned up after myself. I usually do, don't I?"

"You do," Cuddy said. "Now get your lazy ass up and put on some pants."

"Bossy," House said in a childlike tone.

"Yup."

House pulled on some clothes and followed Cuddy into Rachel's room.

"Mama!" Rachel said happily, reaching out her hands.

"Hey, Rach!" Cuddy answered, picking her adoptive daughter up and carrying her to the closet.

"House?" Rachel said next, pointing to a small white dress in her closet. Cuddy took it out.

"Little Cuddles," House greeted the small child, watching Cuddy dress her.

"Hungry," Rachel told the two.

"We're going to get pancakes," House told her.

"Nummy pancakes!" Rachel said.

"Only the best!" Cuddy said, smiling at how well Rachel and House got along.

"Yay!" Rachel exclaimed, giggling.

Cuddy picked Rachel up and brought her out to the car after putting a coat on her. House threw on his motorcycle jacket and followed suit. He climbed in the passenger seat of Cuddy's sedan.

They made the usually 20-minute trip to IHOP slowly, minding the slush and ice still present on the ground. After 45 minutes, they made it, all safe and sound.

"Well, that was treacherous," Cuddy said, looking down at the fingers on her right hand, tightly gripping the manual gear shift to the point where they were white.

"I've never been so scared in my life," House said truthfully, easing Cuddy's fingers off the gearshift.

As they let themselves out of the car, House's cell rang. He took Rachel's diaper bag and walked to the back of the car. "What?" he answered.

"Where are you?" Chase asked him, obviously from the conference room.

"Still snowed in," House lied. "What do you need?"

"Um, nothing," Chase said, sounding a little flustered. He immediately hung up.

"Your team?" Cuddy asked, coming to where House stood and taking his glove-encased hand in hers.

He nodded. "My babysitters," he said. "Do you put them up to this?"

"Of course!" Cuddy said jokingly, leading them to the eatery. "I hate you, why would I want you anywhere near me? Have to have someone keeping you away from me!"

"Why not?" House said, opening the door for Cuddy and Rachel. "I'm an arrogant jerk who only cares about himself. I'd only cause trouble!" He smiled.

Cuddy kissed House. "No one could keep me away from you," she said.

"That was so cheesy," House replied.

"I know," Cuddy said. "Just saying."

House paid at the front and the three were led to the table. House pulled Cuddy's chair out, then placed Rachel in a high chair and pulled out a seat on the opposite side of the table.

Breakfast was filled with conversation and laughter. At one point, Rachel got blueberries all over her face after falling into her food, which prompted immediate laughter from both House and Cuddy. Rachel patted her face and marveled at the sticky purple substance on her face. Cuddy took a wet napkin from Rachel's bag and wiped the blueberries and juice from her face.

House, Cuddy, and Rachel left the restaurant after an hour, taking five minutes just to put their coats, gloves, scarves, and hats back on both themselves and Rachel. It was managed, however, and they slowly made their way to the car, being careful not to slip on the ice or slush.

"I'm driving," House said, climbing into the drivers seat. "Keys?"

Cuddy looked at House, searching for the reason why he wanted to drive. She handed him the keys and asked, "Why?"

"You scare me," House explained. "And you grip the gearshift like it's going to save your life."

"I was scared," Cuddy defended. "Leave me alone."

"Shut up, I'm driving," House joked. Cuddy slapped him on the arm, and then turned to watch Rachel bouncing in her seat.

The group made it back to Cuddy's about a half an hour later, the clearer roads making faster travel possible. The phone was ringing when Cuddy entered the house. She gave Rachel to House and scrambled in to answer it. House walked in more slowly than she did, setting Rachel down on the floor. She ambled slowly over to her mother, House following her lead.

"Who was that?" House asked after Cuddy finished up her phone call.

"Wilson, checking up on us," Cuddy said. "You know, the normal stuff."

"He's an overprotective mother," House complained, taking a seat at the counter.

"No, he's not," Cuddy countered, placing Rachel in her chair. "Stop complaining, he's showing that he cares."

"You're not the least bit annoyed by that?" House asked.

"Not at all," Cuddy answered, sitting down. "At least you have someone who cares about you."

"Well aren't you one special person?" House said. "You can deal with mommy Wilson!"

Cuddy slapped House on the arm, prompting laughter from Rachel. "Don't be mean to Wilson," she said in a purely authoritative voice.

"Or what?" House challenged her, leaning in.

"I'll give him your office," Cuddy said, knowing the effect it would have on him.

"There's not a chance in hell," House said, admitting defeat.

"So you'll be nicer to him?" Cuddy asked him.

"Only for my office."

XXX

The paintball event went as planned. House and Cuddy won, with House seeking out all of the obvious hiding spots that anyone else would miss.

"You are _so_ annoying!" Sam told him later.

"How so, munchkin?" House inquired, giving her a nudge as they walked out of the paintball arena.

"I'm not a munchkin," Sam said. "And no one managed to hit you even _once_! It's annoying how you manage that."

House laughed. "You love it. You know you do," he said.

"Nope," Sam said, standing firm.

"Dinner?" Wilson asked, unlocking his Volvo so the group could climb in. "It's on House."

"If it's on House…." Cuddy said jokingly, leaving the sentence open.

"You're not getting anything," House said, kissing Cuddy's cheek. Today was a refreshing change for him, and it made him feel good, and in a very joking mood.

"Why?" Cuddy asked him, taking a seat in the back next to him. "Give me a reason why."

"You're a horrible teammate," House said, giving a false explanation. "You kept falling on your ass, hit one person one time, and you got hit several times. I even hit you!"

Cuddy laughed. "Shut up!"

XXX

"Hey," Cameron said, greeting Thirteen with a smile in the locker room.

"Hey," Thirteen said, giving her a hug. "What's up?"

"I have a question for you," Cameron said.

"Shoot."

"Want to come to a medical conference with me?" Cameron asked her nervously.

"Um. Sure, when?" Thirteen said, accepting the offer.

"It's two weeks, February 1-15, and it's in Canada. Ottawa," Cameron informed her.

"Canada?" Thirteen said. "It's cold there!" She added in a fake shiver and laughed.

"You can deal with it," Cameron said, taking a stand. "Thanks so much, Rem!"

"Anytime," Thirteen said, giving her another hug.

XXX

**Third chapter. Part of the reason why I'm writing this is for NaNoWriMo. Yes, this is a promotion. And it's also why I'm updating this story so fast. I've got to get to 50k words by November 30. But at the rate I'm going, it shouldn't be too difficult, right? Anyway, read. Review. Encourage me in this journey, too! I love you all 3 Thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

House awoke on February 1 with a terrible headache. He also noticed that he was on the floor in his apartment, with Cuddy nowhere in sight. It was then, as he thought of Cuddy, that he began to recall the fight he'd had with her at work the night before. He couldn't remember what the fight was about; he just knew that it was trivial and it shouldn't have happened in the first place. However, he planned on avoiding Cuddy today as much as he possibly could—she tended to hold on to a grudge for several days.

After laying there for about five more minutes, House slowly lifted himself up off the floor, holding on tightly to the couch as he felt the inevitable wave of dizziness and nausea overcome him. Once that was over, he made his way to the medicine cabinet and took out a bottle of Tylenol, dry-swallowing two of them as he used to dry-swallow Vicodin.

Once he started to feel better, he went to get dressed. Then he drove his car to work, making it in at ten, fashionably late. After passing silently by the clinic, he made it to the elevators and up to his floor without being seen by anyone.

"Where's Thirteen?" he asked the instant he walked into his conference room and found only three of his four fellows at the table. He spotted a black stiletto heel in his peripheral and knew that he'd have to avoid going into his office.

"She's at the medical conference with Cameron," Chase said. "Until the 15th. She told you she was going yesterday."

"Did she?" House said. "Don't remember."

"Yeah," Chase replied. "We have a case."

"Details," House asked, sitting at the table so that he couldn't be seen from his office.

"48-year-old man, splitting headaches and blurred vision, no sign of brain cancer," Chase told House, handing him the file.

"Run a blood test and tox screen," House directed his team. As they stood and left, he walked with them, knowing that Cuddy would eventually have to go back to her office and to work.

He went to Wilson's office, opening the door and sitting in the chair closest to the door that would lead him outside and to his own office.

"Why so far away?" Wilson asked him apathetically.

"Cuddy's upset with me again," House said simply. He placed his cane right next to the door.

"And…?" Wilson asked.

"I'm avoiding," House said. "She might come in here. I need to make a quick getaway."

"What did you do?" Wilson wondered.

"I don't remember," House told him truthfully. "I woke up on my floor."

"Hung over?"

"No. I sleep on the floor sometimes because I get bored and need a change sometimes. I never pass out drunk or anything."

"House, stop being sarcastic," Wilson scolded. "You can't just drink every time you have a fight with someone. How does that help?"

"Never said it did," House countered. "I didn't come here to be berated by you, Wilson."

"You came here to hide from Cuddy," Wilson said, standing up. "Which is why you're being berated now!"

"Where are you going?" House asked, opening his eyes wide and moving for his cane.

"I'm checking to see if Cuddy's still in your office," Wilson told him.

"Why?" House asked, somewhat alarmed.

"So that you can go back to your office!" Wilson said, walking out of the room.

House sat for a minute or two until Wilson came back. He looked at his best friend expectantly.

"She's gone," Wilson said, sitting back behind his desk. "Bye, House."

"If she's still there…" House said quietly, leaving the threat open as he walked out of the room.

House was somewhat delighted to see that Cuddy was indeed gone from his room. He turned on his laptop and then walked into the conference room to make himself a cup of coffee. While the coffee maker was heating up, House wrote his latest patient's symptoms on the board and then re-read his file.

The coffee maker was done making the coffee, and House took a cup from the cabinet. He was pouring the brown liquid into the cup when he heard the door slam open.

"House!" Cuddy shouted, marching over to him quickly.

House dropped his coffee cup on the floor, and the coffee spilled all on him. "Damn it!" he shouted in pain and anger, trying to get the coffee off the front of his shirt. "Give a little warning, why don't you?"

"Were you planning on avoiding me all day?" Cuddy asked him, ignoring his statement.

"Yes. That was the plan," House said, moving past her and into his office. He found a spare shirt and stripped his old one off, throwing it on the floor.

"You can't just avoid me forever, House!" Cuddy said, watching House pull the new shirt on.

"Obviously." He turned to his laptop and started up the internet.

Cuddy shut the machine and picked it up, disconnecting the cord. "Are you going to apologize?" she asked, setting the computer on the floor while searching his eyes for the answer.

"For what?" House asked, deliberately avoiding her eyes.

"For what you _said_, House!" Cuddy exclaimed angrily.

"Cuddy, what did I say?" House asked, starting to get loud. He kept his eyes down and started to write on a piece of paper.

"How do you _not_ remember what you _said_, House?" Cuddy shouted.

"Because, Cuddy!" House exclaimed, throwing down his pen and reading glasses and looking her straight in the eye. "Apparently I went home and got _so_ drunk I don't remember anything! That's why." He hated feeling so vulnerable.

"What?" Cuddy was taken aback, concern coloring her eyes suddenly.

"I woke up on the floor," House said quietly. "And I don't remember anything. And I don't like that I'm telling you this now."

"Why don't you like that?" Cuddy asked, sitting down. "And you've got to stop turning to booze, House! It doesn't work, you know that!"

"What else am I supposed to do, Cuddy?" House asked. "What the hell else am I supposed to do?"

"Talk to someone!" she shouted.

"Who am I going to talk to?" House shouted back at her.

"Me! Wilson!" Cuddy suggested.

House sat there, shaking his head. "Because you were mad at me and Wilson would act motherly. So, like I said, _I had no other choice_!"

"No, you had plenty of choices!" Cuddy said. "You just chose the one you enjoy the most!"

House sighed heavily. "Can we not talk about this anymore? I really didn't feel like telling you about it."

"And why not?" Cuddy was getting defensive.

"Because you always overreact like this, Cuddy," House said plainly.

"Maybe I _wouldn't _if you talked to me more," Cuddy said. "Have you given any thought to that one?"

The team walked into the conference room then. House looked at them enter through the door and then looked at Cuddy, not saying a word.

"We'll talk about this later," Cuddy promised, walking to the door. "Come over for dinner tonight."

"Fine," House agreed. He opened the door to the conference room and sat at the table, absolutely silent.

"Tox screen came back clean," Taub said.

"And the blood test," Foreman added.

"Any new symptoms?" House asked, obviously uninterested, as he wiped his face with his hands.

"Lower limb paralysis and slurred speech," Foreman said, writing the new symptoms on the board.

"Test for environmental factors."

The team departed again.

XXX

House went home and took a quick nap before leaving for Cuddy's house. After waking up and getting dressed, he headed over to her home.

He reached her home a short time later and knocked on the door. Hearing her shout, "It's open," he opened the door and walked in, locking it behind himself to ensure their safety.

"You really shouldn't keep that unlocked," House noted, finding both Cuddy and Rachel in the kitchen.

When she gave him no response, he moved to sit at the counter in the kitchen. "Why am I here, Cuddy?" he asked her.

"Not now," she said, looking at him and then at her daughter. "Pasta?"

"Fine," House said, directing the answer to both of her previous statements.

She took out three plates and placed the pasta on each of them. Before taking her own seat, she took a pitcher of water and a beer bottle from the refrigerator. She placed the bottle in front of House and then poured some water for herself and Rachel.

"You want me to stop drinking, and you put _beer_ in front of me?" House questioned her, taking a swig from the bottle and arching his right eyebrow.

"I want you to stop drinking to solve your problems," Cuddy clarified. "You're not trying to solve your problems right now."

"Or am I?" House teased her.

The rest of dinner went well, light-hearted conversation preempting the conversation that was about to come.

Cuddy put Rachel to bed around ten, and House went into the living room, sitting on her couch.

Once she came into the room and sat in the chair opposite him, House repeated, "Why am I here?"

"I'm trying to show you that you can talk to me, House," Cuddy started slowly.

"No, I can't," House said, standing firm.

"And why is that?" Cuddy asked, revealing her upset.

"Because," House said. "When I'm fighting with you, there's no one else I can talk to. I can't talk to Wilson!"

"Why?" Cuddy asked again.

"He's too overprotective," House complained. "And I'm fighting with you, how am I supposed to talk to you?"

"You sound like an _idiot_!" Cuddy said loudly. "If I'm the person you're fighting with, I should be the person you come to first!"

"Don't yell at me, Cuddy," House said. "I hate that."

"I'm sorry," Cuddy said. "But at the same time, you have to learn _not _to turn to scotch every time we get into a fight. It doesn't help your progress at all."

"You think I don't _know_ that, Cuddy?" House said, noticing tears in Cuddy's eyes. "I'm trying to work on it."

"Thank you," Cuddy said, wiping the tears away. Then she laughed. "I hate that I can never stay mad at you for too long."

"I love that you can't stay mad at me for too long," House disagreed, standing up. He reached out for Cuddy's hand.

"Are you staying the night?" she asked him, taking the hand offered.

House pulled her up and kissed her.

XXX

"Where's House?"

The now-standard question came from Taub.

"Right here, tiny cheater," House said, walking into the room. "You guys tested for any standard environmental factors?"

"Clean," Taub told House, shaking off the insult.

"Did you test the patient's home?" House asked.

"No."

"Idiots," House said. "Chase, Foreman, go test the home. Taub, go test the patient for anything that hasn't been tested yet."

As his team went on their way, House walked into his office and sat down. After pretending to work and not being able to focus, he decided that he needed a nap. Standing up, he moved to turn off the light and then lay down in his chair, putting his feet up on the ottoman.

House slept for a good two hours undisturbed before being awaken by the sound of his door opening. He cracked his eyes open the slightest bit to find Cuddy standing above him. "Yes?" he greeted her.

"I need you to do your clinic duty," she said.

"Why?"

"We're short-staffed," Cuddy explained.

"So get Wilson or something," House told her. "I'm sort of busy."

"House. You're napping," Cuddy said. "That's not busy."

"And?" he said, closing his eyes.

"Do it or I'm not coming over tonight. And you're not coming to my house," she added when she saw him about to respond. She turned and left the room before House could say anything.

House considered the facts before him before realizing that Cuddy was always true to her word. On that, he took his cane and left the comfort of his office.

XXX

"Think we should let House know that we solved the case?" Chase asked as they got back to the conference room and did not find their boss waiting.

"He'll figure it out when he comes back and finds us sitting here," Taub told him. "We're good for now."

XXX

"Thanks for doing clinic duty," Cuddy said later that night as the pair sat on House's couch.

"I did it for sex," House said bluntly.

"Whatever'll make you do it," Cuddy said.

"You understand me so _well_!" House said with faux gratitude.

Cuddy laughed at his tone. "I hope so," she said.

"I think I'd have to shoot you if you didn't," House laughed.

Cuddy looked at him. "I'd hit you with your cane before you could shoot me," she challenged.

"Do you really think that?" House asked.

"Sure I do."

"Okay, Cuddy," House said, enjoying the banter. "I'll just let you keep thinking that."

"What does _that_ mean?" Cuddy asked, playfully defensive.

"Nothing at all," House said, standing up. "Beer?"

Cuddy looked at him skeptically. "Sure…."

As House went off to the kitchen, Cuddy stood and walked back to the portable crib she had stored at House's apartment, where her daughter was sleeping. She smiled at Rachel, wishing she could sleep like her.

Cuddy didn't notice when House came in until he handed her the bottle of beer that he held in his hands. "Thanks," Cuddy said quietly, accepting the offer.

"Yup," House said. "Come here, I want to do something."

"What?" Cuddy asked.

House took his acoustic guitar off the wall, sitting Cuddy down on his piano bench. He pulled a chair up beside her and sat down, positioning the guitar. House began to play slowly and quietly.

Cuddy sat silently for several minutes, closing her eyes and listening to House's music, imagining his fingers strumming the chords of each and every note. It made her smile.

"You like it?" House asked her once he was finished playing. He stood and put the guitar back in its place on the wall.

"I do," Cuddy said. "Did you write it?"

"Of course," House said in an obvious tone. "Most of the stuff that I play is my own material."

"Is it really now?" Cuddy said. "I never knew that."

"Mhm," House answered.

Cuddy stood and walked into the kitchen, grabbing another beer from the fridge. "Want another?" she offered, holding one out for him.

"Offering me my own beer?" House said, taking it.

"Yup," Cuddy answered, walking across the apartment and into the bedroom.

"I never figured you to be the beer-drinking type of woman," House remarked, following her.

"There's plenty of unconventional stuff that I like, House," she said. "You just don't know about all of it."

"Like what?" House asked as he lay down in his bed.

"Led Zeppelin is my favorite band," Cuddy revealed.

"Are you kidding me?" House said happily, looking at her. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Not at all," Cuddy said. "I listen to them all the time in the car."

"You didn't when we went to IHOP," House pointed out. "I definitely would've noticed that."

"I don't want Rachel listening to that right now," Cuddy told him, getting into the bed and curling up next to him. "Maybe when she's five."

"Now I know what to get her for that day!" House joked. "Thanks, Cuddy."

"Sure, House," she answered. "Anything else I can help you out with?"

"Not now, maybe tomorrow," House said. "Night, Cuddy."

She kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, House."

XXX

"Allison, it is so _cold_ in here!" Thirteen exclaimed as she sat on the bed in their hotel room.

"So go turn the heat on," Cameron said from the bathroom.

"Why was the heat off in the first place?" Thirteen asked as she walked over to the heater. "It's blizzarding out there!"

"Is it really?" Cameron asked, poking her head out of the bathroom door. Thirteen held the curtain open for her to see. "Oh," she said as she saw the snow swirling around outside. "Guess it's a good thing that the conference is in the hotel instead of somewhere else."

"Yup," Thirteen said. She let the curtain close and turned the heat up. "Why was the heat off in the fist place?" she repeated.

"I got hot," Cameron said, finally exiting the bathroom.

"Well no wonder, you have five thousand blankets," Thirteen said, noticing the pieces of fabric covering her bed.

Cameron smirked at her. "Shut up."

"Never!" Thirteen said in a challenging tone.

"Anyway," Cameron said, elongating the word. "You ready?"

"To sit for six hours?" Thirteen asked. "Let's go."

XXX

"Sleep well?" House asked as he pulled his clothes on the next morning. He handed Cuddy her skirt.

"Definitely," Cuddy replied. "You're extremely comfortable, you know that?"

"Yeah," House said. "My hooker told me that two nights ago." He gave Cuddy a smirk.

She hit him on the arm. "Shut up, House," she said. "I was with you two nights ago."

"Good memory you got there," House remarked. "I could never keep anything from you, could I?"

"Not at all," Cuddy said. She gave him a hug. "See you at work?"

"If I weren't going, I wouldn't be getting dressed, now would I?" House said.

"Bye, House." Cuddy gave him a kiss and walked out of the room.

"Bye, Cuddy," House said quietly. He continued to get dressed and then left his apartment, throwing some clothes in the back of his car.

XXX

"That was boring," Thirteen said as she and Cameron left the conference hall later that day.

"You were asleep for most of the time," Cameron said. Then she laughed.

"Shut up!" Thirteen said. "It bored me. At least when I sleep my dreams aren't boring!"

"You _could've _talked to me," Cameron said. "I was awake the entire time."

"You should've gone to sleep, too!" Thirteen said as they approached the elevators. "It was fun."

"I'm sure it was," Cameron said sarcastically. "You should've talked to me, hun."

"True…" Thirteen said. "I'll do that next time." They entered the elevator.

"You fell asleep and I got bored!" Cameron laughed. "But I didn't go to sleep."

"Did you learn anything new?" Thirteen wondered, somewhat interested.

"Not really," Cameron told her. "He droned on and on about oncology. Wilson would've felt right at home."

"We should invite him next time," Thirteen said, departing from the elevator as it reached their floor. "He'll be able to talk to you."

"Rem, don't take it to heart!" Cameron said as they reached their room. "And he'd be paying too much attention to the speech, anyway."

"That's true, isn't it?" Thirteen considered. "Well, make me up next time and talk to me."

Cameron placed the key card in the lock. "You plan on doing that _again_?" she said in shock.

"It's not something that I can help," Thirteen said.

"Sure it's not," Cameron replied. "Maybe if you slept at night instead of watching TV, you would be able to help it."

"Don't patronize me!" Thirteen said jokingly. "I do what I want."

"Of course you do."

XXX

"I can't _wait_ for Thirteen to get back," House stated. "She's got a lot more balls than you guys!"

"House!" Foreman shouted. "We're not going to attempt an unauthorized procedure when we know Cuddy will just say no!"

"That's why it's unauthorized!" House said loudly. "Do it anyway!"

"No, House," Foreman said firmly. "If you want it done, do it on your own."

House looked at Chase then, who, after some obvious internal debate, stood his ground. "No," he said.

"Of all the days _not_ to be a kiss ass, you _had_ to choose today!" House said, storming out of the room.

"You're not doing the procedure," Cuddy said as House entered her office a few minutes later.

He looked at her as he sat down on the couch. "They called you?" he asked her.

"As soon as you left," Cuddy told him, focusing on her paperwork.

"Well, I wasn't coming to ask you anyway," House said. "Since I'm not allowed to send them home because they annoy me, I decided to leave for a while."

"Way to be the bigger man," Cuddy said sarcastically.

House laughed. "Why that tone?" he asked her.

"Because you shouldn't be annoyed by them enough to have to leave your own office," she said. "They can't be _that_ bad."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," House said. "They're annoying little babies who think they need me to live. They attach themselves to me, Cuddy."

"Well, that's a bit dramatic," Cuddy said. She looked up at House. "I doubt they do that."

"Well, they don't physically attach themselves to me," House revised. "But they do act as if they need me to survive."

"Then do something about it," Cuddy suggested in a tone that implied it was the obvious choice.

"Like what?" House asked. "Give me ideas."

"Um," Cuddy said, thinking about it. "Make them solve a case on their own."

"They did that while I was at Mayfield."

"Yeah, but that's because they had no choice," Cuddy said, returning to her paperwork. "Make them think you're going to fire them if they don't try to think for themselves. It's the only other idea I have."

"That's actually a good idea," House said. "You're devious."

"Learned from the best," Cuddy said.

XXX

"Okay, here's the deal!" House said when he entered the office an hour later. "You guys are going to do this case and the next without any assistance from me. If you even ask me _one_ question about the cases, you'll be fired. Any questions?"

House's team stared at him. "What?" Chase said, speaking up.

"You guys act like you'll die if I'm not here," House explained. "It's annoying. I'm showing you guys that you can work without me and not mess up."

"By threatening to _fire_ us?" Taub asked. "That's great."

"Exactly," House said. "Now, go solve the case."

His team gave him one last look before they left the office. House smiled to himself and then walked into his office.

It wasn't but two minutes before Wilson walked into the office.

"You're threatening to fire them?" he asked in disbelief. " What would possess you to even _think_ about doing that?"

"Cuddy," House said simply.

Wilson raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"She's the one who gave me the idea," House explained. "It's a pretty good idea, you've got to admit."

"No, it's not," Wilson said. "How the hell could it be a good idea?"

"You're a moral pansy," House teased. "It's good because they won't call me to ask me to help them find an answer that they already know ever again. Saves both sides some time that they can use to heal the patient. Hence, it's a good idea."

Wilson thought about what House said for a few moments. "You sure you didn't come up with this?"

"Cuddy is very devious," House informed him. "You have to watch yourself around her, she's got one tricky mind."

"But she's Cuddy," Wilson said pensively.

"And?" House countered. "She's around me almost all the time now. She learns from the best."

"I guess that's true," Wilson said. "But are you sure it's a good idea? I don't really think it is."

"That's because you worry too much," House told him. "Don't worry about it."

Wilson gave House a long look and then exited the room, hoping this decision didn't come back to bite House on the ass.

XXX

"Wilson doesn't think that you gave me the idea to fire my team," House informed Cuddy later at the dining room table as they ate dinner.

"Why?" she asked him, gathering leaves of lettuce on her fork.

"He doesn't think you're cunning or devious enough to do it," House said. "He thinks you're sweet and innocent and unknowing."

"How wrong he is," Cuddy laughed. "What'd you tell him?"

"I told him that you're around me all the time and that I rub off on you," House said. "He still wasn't sure."

"Poor Wilson," she said, taking another bite.

"How is this a 'poor Wilson' situation?" House asked with a laugh. "He's being a botherer. Always meddling in people's business."

"Because," Cuddy said. "He doesn't know how tricky I truly am."

XXX

Okay. Chapter 4. I think this is the fastest I've ever typed up a chapter. Like I said, NaNoWriMo. I have nothing really to say, except to tell your friends about the story and review and that I hope I'm keeping them kinda sorta in character. So yes, thanks for reading (if you did). I love you forever :)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Oh, thank you!" House pronounced loudly and deliberately as he walked into the conference room and saw Thirteen sitting there, looking at the file that the other fellows had been working on over the past several days.

"Heard you couldn't wait to have me back," Thirteen told him. "I guess that's good to know."

"It's horrible how much these guys depend on you," House said. "I guess that means you'll be sticking around for a while."

"Unless I'm fired," Thirteen said. When House threw her a look, she said, "They explained the deal to me."

"Oh, good," House said. "Get going, then."

House walked into his office then, turning on the computer. After he answered some emails and played a game of solitaire, he logged of. He picked up the phone and dialed the ER.

"Yes, House?" Cameron said when she answered the phone.

"I need you to do my paperwork," House said. "Cuddy's been on me for days about it. And not in the way I like."

"House, I'm busy," Cameron answered. "I came back to a lot of mess because someone incompetent was left in charge while I was gone for two weeks, and now I have two weeks worth of work to do."

"Do that later," House persisted. "I need you to do mine now."

"Why can't you do your own?" Cameron asked him hopelessly, knowing that there was no getting House to do his own paperwork.

"Cameron," House said.

She sighed. "I'll be up in five minutes." He heard the phone click.

After waiting for exactly five minutes on the dot, House watched as his door opened and Cameron walked in. "Where is it?" she asked.

House pointed to the piles of paper on his desk in the conference room and said, "Have fun!"

"I better get paid for this eventually," she said quietly, opening the door that connected the conference room and his office.

"You'll get your salary and like it!" House said teasingly. "So spoiled, do you think I'm made of money?"

Cameron let the door close behind her.

XXX

"Why don't you ever do your own paperwork?" Cuddy asked House when he came into her office.

Sitting down, he said, "Not my job."

"Uh, yes it is, House," Cuddy said. "You're the head of the department."

"And?" House said. "Cameron's always done it for me."

"Do you even know how to do that paperwork, House?" Cuddy wondered. She looked at him.

"Yes," House said. "I just don't _like_ to. Too much work."

"For a brilliant doctor, you are one lazy person," Cuddy laughed. "What happens if Cameron quits or gets hurt and can't do your paperwork for you?"

"Then I get one of my ducklings to do it," House said. "It's a simple solution. And if everyone leaves, I have Wilson. Trust me, this is planned."

"So when you fired Chase and lost Foreman and Cameron to resignation, _Wilson_ did your paperwork?" Cuddy inquired, compiling the papers she'd been working on into a neat pile and standing up, walking to the door with House. They left together and headed to the garage.

"Yup," House responded, heading to his car. "Continue this conversation at my place?

"Definitely," Cuddy answered, giving him a quick peck before climbing into her car and driving away.

House waited an hour for Cuddy to arrive at his apartment with her daughter. When she came in, she automatically said, "Wilson has his own paperwork to do," Cuddy said. "Oncology sees far more patients than diagnostics does."

"He got that paper work in on time, no?" House countered. When Cuddy nodded, he said, "Exactly. He's perfectly fine."

"That was just luck," Cuddy said, laughing. "It won't happen again."

"Unless I fire my team," House pointed out. "Then it might. You don't know that."

"Well, they haven't given you any reason to fire them, have they?" Cuddy asked. "I haven't had anyone in my office begging for their job yet."

"Yet," House said. "But it could still happen. We'll see by the end of this case. Which could be soon, actually."

"What, do you know what's wrong with the patient, House?" Cuddy asked him.

"No," he said. "But they usually solve the cases quickly, so that's why I say soon."

"Ah," Cuddy said. "That makes sense."

"Exactly."

"So my idea was a good one?" Cuddy asked him as she spread herself out on the couch.

"Yup," House praised. "Probably better than any one I've ever had. Nice job."

"Thanks," Cuddy said. "You're not being sarcastic, are you? I can never tell anymore with you."

"Not at all," House said. "I mean it."

"Well, thanks then." She yawned.

House watched as Cuddy slowly and quietly fell asleep. He placed a blanket over her and then leaned his head back, he too falling asleep quickly after her.

He woke up about two hours later to find the blanket over him and the sound of running water coming from the kitchen. He stretched his arms behind himself and rubbed his eyes, standing up slowly. He headed into the kitchen and saw Rachel sitting in a chair, laughing and watching her mother as she made some pasta.

"Hey," Cuddy said when she heard House come in.

"When did you wake up?" House asked her. "It couldn't have been too long ago."

"Maybe 15 minutes ago," she answered. "I was hungry."

"Oh," House said, looking over at Rachel. She was playing with a napkin, ripping it to pieces. "You'd better clean that up when you're done," he told her jokingly.

"House, I have a question for you," Cuddy stated, turning a stove burner up to high and placing the pot of water on top of it.

"Shoot," House said. "What are you making, by the way?"

"Shells," Cuddy told him. "Why don't you like having Rachel here, House?"

He looked at Rachel, who was completely oblivious to the question just posed before him. "I do," he said.

"No, House, you don't," Cuddy said. "Just tell me, I won't be upset or anything.

"Are you sure you want to know?" he asked her pensively.

"I doubt it's that bad, House," Cuddy said. "Just tell me, stop avoiding the question. I won't be upset or anything."

"I'm not good with kids," House said.

Cuddy looked at him. "What?"

"I'm not good with kids," he repeated. "I could do or say something to her and then poof. You're gone and I'm alone. Again." House hated feeling vulnerable again. He wanted to dismiss the question and go back to sleep.

"That would never happen, House," Cuddy said, walking over to him.

"It could," House said. "Don't just dismiss it."

"I will dismiss it," Cuddy said. "You wouldn't intentionally risk losing me and you know it."

"Not intentionally," House said. "But it could still happen, Cuddy."

"House," she said, sitting in the chair next to him. "Stop arguing about it. I love you."

"Me, too," he said. "Your water's boiling, by the way." He pointed to the pot and stood. "I got it."

"Thanks, House," Cuddy said, shifting to watch Rachel play with the ripped napkin. "You're a pretty good guy, you know."

"If you say so," House said, dumping the box of shells into the pot and setting the timer.

"You say I always have good ideas, right?" Cuddy asked him as he reclaimed the seat next to her.

"Yeah," House said. "So?"

"I got this idea that you're a pretty good guy," Cuddy said happily, smiling at House. "And you can't deny it."

"I guess you're right, then," House said. "You're not too bad yourself, there, Cuddy."

"Well thanks." She smiled again.

"Sure," House said. "How are you hungry at 10 PM?"

"Because I never ate dinner," Cuddy told him. "And you happened to have pasta here."

"When did you sneak that into my house, by the way?" he asked. "It was definitely not here before. I don't buy pasta."

"I got this the last time I was here," Cuddy said. "You need to check your cabinets sometimes."

"I guess I should," House said. "How are you making that, anyway?"

"Just throwing some tomatoes and spices in it," Cuddy told him. "And some seasoned salt."

"Health nut," House said. "Throw some meat in there!"

"If you want some meat in there, you've got to do it in a separate pot," Cuddy said. "I don't want it touching my pasta."

"I'm too lazy for that," House said, standing. "I guess I'll have to deal with it." He strained the pasta as the timer went off.

"Thanks, House," Cuddy said as he served her a few moments later.  
"You can put your own seasonings on it," he said as a form of "you're welcome."

"Thanks," Cuddy said sarcastically, heading over to the cabinet.

"Bon appetit."

XXX

"How'd your first day back go?" Foreman asked Cameron as he sat at the table in the cafeteria with her and Chase. It was going on 10:30 PM.

"I had to do House's paperwork," Cameron told him. "And my own. So, besides having no free time and being busy all day, it was good."

"Why'd you have to do House's paperwork?" Chase asked her.

"When has House ever done his own paperwork, Chase?" Cameron asked.

"Shouldn't we be doing it, then?"

"You're all working on a case," she said. "I think it's just an excuse to get me to do his work. Every time paperwork needs to be done, you guys have a case."

"Well, did you get the work you're supposed to be doing done?" Foreman asked her.

"Not yet," Cameron said. "I'm about half done. But I needed to eat, so I decided to take a break."

"Well, that was a good idea," Chase said.

"Yeah," Foreman agreed. "It's exactly what we did."

"You guys left Taub and Thirteen all alone to do work by themselves?" Cameron said. "That's nice."

"Don't worry about it," Foreman said. "They're in pathology running tests. They told us to go."

"Sure they did," Cameron laughed.

"They did," Chase confirmed. "Go ask them."

"I'm good," Cameron told him. "I believe you."

"Well, anyway," Chase said. "Are you going to be able to finish the work you have to do tonight?"

"Probably," Cameron said. "I'll just stay late if I have to."

"I guess that works," Foreman said as he and Chase stood up. "Let us know if you need any help with it."

"Thanks, guys," she said. "Getting back to work?"

"Yeah," Chase said. "We're pretty close to solving the case, I feel like we should be there when it happens."

"Yeah, you'd better go," Cameron said. "Bye, guys."

XXX

"You all solved two cases without any help from me whatsoever," House said in a voice that made it seem as if someone on the team was being eliminated on an episode of _Survivor_.

"Um, yes?" Taub responded, looking around at his fellow doctors.

"Do you realize now that you don't need me to give you the answers to questions you already know?"

"Yeah." This response came from Thirteen. "Now, can things go back to normal? This entire situation is annoying."

"Oh, sure," House said sarcastically. "But I'll still fire you guys if you ask me things that you already know. And I'm not joking."

"And if we don't know?" Thirteen asked.

"Then you're fine," House said. "I know what you do and don't know, though, so don't try to slip anything past me. I won't hesitate to fire you."

"That just sounded weird," Taub said.

"Shut up," House told him. "And before you leave, just know that I will also fire you if you pry too much into my personal life. That's a promise." He looked solely at Foreman while making that statement.

Foreman stared back at him for a moment before leaving the room.

House walked into his office after his team left and opened the door that led to the outside. He stepped out and stood on the edge, leaning on the wall and looking out across the horizon.

"House," Wilson said as his appeared outside of his own door a few moments later. "Why are you out here? It's freezing."

"Because I feel like being out here?" House stated in the form of a question. "Is it that important?"

"I was just wondering," Wilson said, coming to stand by his side of the wall.

"Why are you out here?" House asked, looking at his best friend in curiosity.

"I saw that you were out here," Wilson said. "And I actually have no paperwork right now. I was about to come to your office anyway."

"Oh," House said. "I guess that makes some sort of sense."

"Yes, it should," Wilson said. He looked over House's shoulder then. "Hey, Cuddy!" he said with a smile.  
"Hey, Wilson," Cuddy said as she walked out of House's door. "Hi, House," she said as she hugged him.

"Hey," House said. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was coming to see you and noticed that you were out here," Cuddy explained to the two.

"You and Wilson are out here for the same reason," House said. "I guess I've become pretty popular!"

"Okay, House," Wilson said sarcastically. "You're so right."

"Wilson, calm down," House said. "Cuddy, why aren't you working?"

"I have nothing to do," Cuddy said, somewhat shocked. "No paperwork or anything."

"Well then," House said. "No one has paperwork, what a coincidence."

"Did you have anything to do with that, House?" Cuddy asked, hopping up on the wall that separated House and Wilson. "You sound suspicious."

"Do I now?" House said. "You don't look as if you care."

"I don't, actually," Cuddy said. "But I should. Where did you hide my papers?"

Wilson laughed, and House said, "In your bathroom."

Cuddy threw House a look. "My _bathroom_?" she asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because if you caught on that I hid your papers, why would you look in your bathroom?"

"I'm with him, actually," Wilson spoke up.

"That kind of makes sense," Cuddy said. "Devious."

"You'd better go do it, then," House said. "I hid a _lot_."

Cuddy looked at Wilson, who nodded in confirmation.

"_House_," Cuddy said, jumping down. "Seriously?"

"Cuddy, who am I?"

XXX

"We have a patient," Foreman said when he and the rest of the team entered the office later that day.

"Symptoms?" House demanded.

"Bloody nose, lethargy, irritability, partial loss of speech."

"Speech?" House asked as he wrote the symptoms on his white board.

"Maybe a sentence or two, then silence," Foreman told him. "But her mouth still moves as if she's speaking."

"That's interesting," House said truthfully, turning and walking towards the door.

"House, where are you going?" Chase asked as he and the rest of the team followed their boss out the door and into the hallway.

"To visit the patient, where else?" House said as if it were obvious. "I need to see exactly what you're talking about."

House walked down the hallway and to the elevator, reaching the patient's room in a little under two minutes. The door slid open, and he walked in to see a sleeping woman in the bed and her husband sitting next to her, holding her hand. He looked up when he heard the door open.

"Who's this?" he asked the team as they carefully filed into the room.

"Our boss," Thirteen told him quietly. "Your wife's main doctor."

"I need you to wake her up," House said gruffly.

"I'd rather not," the woman's husband said. "She'd tired."

"I knew that," House said. "I need to talk to her. Then she can go back to sleep." When the husband didn't respond, House said, "I'd prefer you do it before I have to."

The woman's husband looked at House with distaste, then carefully shook his wife awake.

She yawned. "Ted?" she said sleepily. "How long was I asleep?"

"Not that long," Ted said.

"Who's that?" she asked next, pointing to House.

"Angela, this is Dr. House," Thirteen told her. "Tell him what's wrong with you.

Angela sighed. "I'm constantly tired, my nose won't…" The woman trailed off, but House could see that her mouth was still moving, as if she was unaware that she had no voice. He stood, fascinated.

"Loss of speech," Foreman reiterated, watching the patient as she rambled on, a panic-stricken look on her face. "Brain related, obviously."

"Obviously," House repeated. He faced his team. "How long does it take for her speech to come back to her?" he asked them.

Just then, the patient's voice came back. "… Does this keep happening?" she asked.

House turned back to her. "No idea," he said blatantly. "When did it start happening?"

"About a week ago," Angela said. "But it wasn't nearly as bad as it is now. It only got this bad yesterday afternoon."

House considered what she told him and left the room, his team following him once again. Once the doors were closed, he said, "Chase, Thirteen, search the house. Taub, x-ray. Foreman, tox screen." His fellows dispersed, and he looked back one more time at the patient before heading back to his office.

XXX

"I heard you have a new case," Cuddy told House later. "It sounds interesting."

"You checking up on me, Cuddy?" he asked. "I don't really think I like the sound of that."

"No," Cuddy dismissed. "It sounds interesting. Does she really lose the ability to speak like that?"

"Yes, ma'am," House said. "It's something that I've never seen before. It's very interesting, especially to watch."

"How does she react to it?" Cuddy asked him.

"I think she _knows_ that it's happening, but her brain makes her complete the though either way," House told her. "It's odd. I have the team checking the house and tox screens, all that good stuff."

"That's good," Cuddy said. "I hope you find the answer."

"Cuddy, really?" House asked her. "Did you really just say that? I always find the answer."

"Don't get cocky, House," she responded. When he opened his mouth to say something she knew was sexually suggestive, she said, "Do you want to go out to dinner tonight?"

"Do I have to get dressed up?" House asked in an obvious tone of distress."

Cuddy laughed. "No, House," she said. "I figure we can stop at that little buffet on the way home. It's all-you-can-eat," she supplied.

House thought for a minute. "Fine," he said with a smile as he shrugged his coat on. "But you're definitely buying."

"Are you kidding me?" Cuddy asked him as she walked out of her office. "I suggested it, you can buy."

"Cuddy, that's not how it works," House said. "How about we split?"

"Fine," she answered. "But if the cost isn't even, you're paying the bigger half. Just saying."

"Deal," House responded. "Do you want to take separate cars or just one, and then I'll bring you back to get yours?" He led her to the parking lot.

"We can take your car," Cuddy said. "It'll be easier that way."

"True." House led her to the car that was sitting in the lot.

"No motorcycle today?" Cuddy asked, opening the passenger seat door.

"It's still pretty slippery out here," House said when he got in and started up the car. "The car is safer than the motorcycle, don't you think?"

"It is," Cuddy agreed, turning on the heat. "I didn't know you could be so rational!" She laughed at her joke.

House laughed along with her. "I'm plenty more rational than you think I am, Cuddy," he laughed.

"Are you now?" she asked as he got on the road. She looked out the frosty window and into the grey winter sky.

"Yes, ma'am," House responded.

They spent the minutes it took to get to the buffet talking about what had gone on at work that day. They got to the eatery around eight, and carefully stepped out of the car.

"Is the food good?" House asked Cuddy as they walked up the stairs. "If it's not, you're going home alone tonight."

"It's delicious," Cuddy said, opening the door. "You've never been here before? I figured you'd eaten at every place in Jersey."

"Never," House said. "I pass by it all the time, but I never stop because I'm close to home."

"Oh," Cuddy responded. "Well, the food's still good."

"And another thing," House remembered. "It it's not good, you're paying the entire bill."

"That's not fair!" Cuddy laughed, walking with the waiter to their table. House pulled her chair out before taking his own seat.

"I don't understand how it's not," House laughed. "Bad food that you said is good? Sounds like a good idea to me."

"Okay, House," Cuddy said, standing. "I'm going to get food now, you in?"

"Yeah."

XXX

"Did you find anything at the patient's house?" House asked Chase and Thirteen the next day as he stormed into the room.

"No, nothing," Thirteen said. "They keep the house spotless. Not even a little dust."

"Tox screen?" House asked.

"Came back clean," Foreman told him. "I ran it twice."

"Taub?" House said, looking at his tiniest fellow.

"The x-ray revealed nothing," Taub said, relaxing in his chair.

House thought for a time. "Chase, Foreman, perform an MRI. Thirteen, Taub, I want a biopsy once they're done."

"Where?" Thirteen asked him.

"Where else?" House asked her. "Her lungs."

Taub gave him a look. "Why the lungs?" he asked.

"Because it might have something to do with her breathing?" House said sarcastically. "It sort of, kind of makes sense. Just a little bit."

Thirteen took House's words and exited the room, the others quickly following suit. House went down to the cafeteria, knowing that Wilson would be in line getting his food. He stepped up behind him and threw some chips and a soda on the plate Wilson was holding.

"House, do you ever bring your own money?" Wilson asked him as he handed his money over to the cafeteria worker.

"Yes, and?" House said as he walked with Wilson over to their table. "I bring it almost everyday. Man's go to get some gas, you know." He took his chips and opened the bag.

"You get gas every two weeks," Wilson said. "I know your habits, House."

"You're a buzz kill," House told him. "I'm going to stop bringing my money now. Just because you said that."

"Wonderful," Wilson said. "So how's your case going?"

House sipped his Coke. "The patient still can't speak more than a few sentences at a time, and now she's spiked a fever," he told Wilson.

"What's her temp?" Wilson asked him.

"102.7. We've got to bring it down before her brain boils." House grabbed a handful of chips from the bag and ate them quickly.

"Have you checked to see if it has anything to do with her brain?" Wilson asked him, unknowingly raising an eyebrow.

"I have Chase and Foreman giving her an MRI right now," House said. "And Thirteen and Taub are doing a lung biopsy after that."

"Why are they doing a biopsy of her lungs and not her brain?" Wilson asked. "Do you think it could be the lungs?"

"No, I don't," House said with a hint of sarcasm. "I'm giving her a lung biopsy for absolutely no reason at all."

"Stop being so sarcastic all the time," Wilson said. "I asked a simple question."

"Aw, did I hurt poor little Wilson?" House taunted in a child's voice.

"House, shut up," Wilson said. "Go do a brain biopsy."

"I probably wouldn't be able to," House said, returning to a serious state. "I wasn't able to on that little girl before."

"This patient is older," Wilson told him. "You'll probably be able to. Check with Cuddy, though. Not that you won't do it anyway."

"That might work," House said, standing up. "Thanks, Wilson."

"You're going to pay me back eventually!" Wilson shouted as House walked away.

"Not a _chance_."

XXX

** Okay guys. Chapter 5. Done. And I hope you're not losing interest. Now, the next chapter promises to be interesting, but I don't know how well I wrote it xD I'm still in the process. But stay with me, because there's plenty more to come. Thank you all for reading, I love you forever :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Did you solve the case yet?" Cuddy asked over dinner the next night. She took a small sip of her wine and then gave Rachel a spoonful of her applesauce.

"How do you now know?" House joked. "Are you supposed to know everything that goes on at the hospital?" He ate some macaroni and Cheese.

"Do you know how much stuff comes through my office everyday?" Cuddy asked. "I don't remember how many cases I sign off on."

"Well, you should start to remember, then," House said. "But yes, we solved the case. Quite quickly, I should add."

"That's good. What'd she have?"

"A weird manifestation of brain cancer and pneumonia," House said. "Wilson's taking care of her now. He said it didn't appear terminal."

"That's good," Cuddy repeated. "Nice job, House."

"Don't praise me," he said. "This food is delicious. Where'd you buy the macaroni?"

"How do you know it's not homemade?" Cuddy asked him, laughing.

"Because I know what Stouffer's tastes like," House replied. "Before you, I lived off of TV dinners, Cuddy."

"Ah," Cuddy said. "I got it from that store on the corner."

"Well. It's still delicious."

"Don't praise me," she said, copying House. They laughed together. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"We could go see a movie," House suggested, in a very uncharacteristic move. When Cuddy arched an eyebrow, he said, "I was going to say monster trucks, but Rachel can't watch that and you'd be with her instead of me."

"That's true," Cuddy said, looking at her toddler. "But what kid-appropriate movies are out right now?"

"Megamind is," House said immediately. "I've been waiting to see that movie."

"Is that still out?" Cuddy asked, trying to ignore the fact that House was excited for a movie intended towards kids and pre-teens. "It came out in November."

"It's in the dollar movie theater by the hospital," House said inquisitively. "I'll pay if we go to that one!"

"Yeah, because you'll only be shelling out three dollars instead of thirty," Cuddy said, stifling a giggle. "Selfish jerk."

"Not in front of the kids!" House said in faux shock, covering Rachel's ears. She laughed and clapped her hands together.

"I could've called you something much worse," Cuddy whispered in his ear. She stood up and collected the plates and cups, putting them in the sink.

House faked a shiver, then said, "So are we going or not?"

"Yes, House," Cuddy sighed. "Just let me grab my coat."

XXX

"Have you guys seen… Megamind?" House asked the team gathered in his office as he bounced his ball off the wall.

"No, House," Foreman said. "We have a—"

"That is a _brilliant_ movie," House continued, interrupting Foreman. "You guys should go see it."

Thirteen looked at House then. "Maybe we'll see it tonight," she said in the voice she used for her young patients.

"Good," House said somewhat approvingly. "Now, what'd you say about a case?"

"You didn't even let me finish," Foreman whined.

House rolled his eyes. "Stop bitching and tell me about the case."

Foreman stared at him. "50-year-old male, difficulty breathing, increasing stomach pain, has the chills but no fever, and pain in the chest," he recited from the case file.

"You guys know what to do," House told them, sending his team on their way. As they left to run their tests, he went to the cafeteria.

House spied Cameron sitting at a table, signing off on a paper that a nurse had brought her. He slowly walked over and sat down in the chair opposite her.

"Thanks, Brenda," Cameron said, handing the nurse the pen and paper and sending her on her way. "What do you need, House?"

"Nothing," he said, still sitting at the table and staring at her.

"Then why are you here?" Cameron asked him, folding her hands on the table.

"No reason," House said. "Just needed someone to sit with."

"Oh, okay," Cameron said with a bit of inflection. "How are you and Cuddy doing?" She took a bite of the food in front of her.

"Um, fine?" House said. He wringed his hands together. "What about you and Thirteen?"

"We're good," Cameron said with a tiny smile. "It's only been a month, though. So we'll see."

"Good," House was saying when his pager went off. He looked at the message, then back at his former fellow. "Got to go. My team's about to brawl." He stood up.

"What?" she asked, standing with him. They walked out of the cafeteria after she placed her plate on the counter.

"Your ex-husband and Taub are about to fight," House said, heading towards the patient's room. "Don't ask me why. Your girlfriend will explain."

"Are you serious?" Cameron said. "That's juvenile."

"You're telling me," House agreed, hearing shouting coming from the end of the hallway. He and Cameron walked faster, hearing the differences in the sounds of Taub and Chase's voices.

"Rem, what's going on?" Cameron asked her when she and House reached the argument. Thirteen and Foreman stood by, ready in case anything happened.

Thirteen looked over at Cameron with a tired look in her eye. "They're disagreeing over some of the choices the patient's made in his life and which course of treatment to take," Thirteen informed her. "Chase thinks Taub's an asshole because he made some of the same choices in his life, and now Taub is criticizing him, too."

House stood for a minute, just staring at the two going at it.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Chase asked him. "You go at everyone for everything. You're a hypocrite!"

Taub was red in the face. "How am _I_ a hypocrite?"

"You've made bad choices!" Chase yelled. "You've lied, cheated, stolen! Do not criticize me because of a choice that I made, or Thirteen, or Foreman! Yes, I made a bad choice, but at the time, it was something that I needed to do. So don't tell me that I shouldn't have done it. Don't criticize me when you can also criticize yourself!"

"I can say whatever the hell I want to say!" Taub shouted. "You can't tell me otherwise!"

Chase let go then, punching Taub in the nose. Thirteen and Foreman grabbed Chase as he brought his hand back to give Taub another hit. Taub held on to the wall, holding his bleeding and definitely broken nose. House stood by and watched as Cameron notified security and Cuddy.

In what was no longer than a minute, Cuddy had arrived, instructing security to take Taub and Chase to her office and stay with them the entire time. Turning to the four who remained in the hallway, she said, "What the hell happened?"

"Ask them," House said, pointing at Thirteen and Foreman.

"They were interviewing the patient and it got a bit personal," Thirteen said, not going in-depth about the fight.

"Foreman?" Cuddy said, folding her arms tightly across her chest.

"The patient made a few choices drug-wise that Chase agreed with but Taub didn't," Foreman explained. "Taub criticized the patient, Chase came to his defense, Taub started to criticize Chase. They took the argument outside the room. Taub took it a little too far and Chase punched him in the face."

Their boss turned to Cameron and House. "How do you two factor into all of this?" she asked them, somewhat exasperated.

"Thirteen paged me," House said. "Cameron followed me."

Cuddy considered the information given to her, then spoke to House. "Come with me," she directed, turning on her heels and walking to the elevators. House followed close behind her.

They went to her office. Cuddy threw the door open and walked to her desk, dismissing the officers. House stood by the door, staying absolutely silent.

"What the _hell_ were you two thinking?" Cuddy exploded, slamming her hands on the desk. "Fighting at work? _Especially_ outside a patient room! What is wrong with you?"

"Taub criticized me," Chase said. "So I called him a hypocrite. If he hadn't said what he said, I wouldn't have punched him."

"I gave you no reason to punch me!" Taub countered. "I just voiced a small disagreement. You're the one who flew off the handle!"

Chases face grew menacing. "Flew off the _handle_?" he said quietly. "You sniveling little—"

"No!" Cuddy shouted forcefully before Chase was able to throw another punch. "Dr. Chase, Dr. Taub, you're both suspended for a week without pay. And if _anything_ like this _ever_ happens again, you will _both _be fired!"

"But," Taub said, wide-eyed. "I didn't do anything!"

"I don't want to hear it," Cuddy said. "Get your things. Taub, get your nose checked out. Then _both_ of you get _out_ of this office." She sighed heavily and then sat down.

Chase looked down at the floor and walked out of the office, Taub following from a distance and turning in the opposite direction, towards the clinic waiting room.

House came and sat down across from Cuddy. "Are you okay?" he asked her using a somewhat caring voice.

"House, I just suspended two of my best doctors," Cuddy said tiredly. "Diagnostics is going to suffer. The hospital might suffer!"

"Cuddy, calm down," House said. "Everything will be just fine. Foreman and Thirteen will be able to do the work, and I can steal Cameron if I need to."

"She's yours for the week," Cuddy told him.

"Go home," House told her. "You're stressed and dead. Go home, I'll be over later."

"I have work to do," she responded. "I can't go home now."

"Cuddy," House said. "It wasn't an option. Go home."

Cuddy looked up at him. "Will you really come over?" she asked, making absolutely sure.

"Of course. Go home and sleep. Keep Marina there if you have to." House was shocked by how nice he was being.

XXX

Cameron was packing up to head home when her phone rang. "Hello?" she asked, yawning quietly.

"Cameron? Allison?" Chase answered. "Hey there!"

"Chase?" Cameron said. "Are you drunk?"

"Only maybe a little," he responded, sounding completely inebriated. "Can you pick me up? I don't want to drive."

Cameron sighed, lucky that she had no plans with Thirteen that night. "Where are you, Chase?"

"McInerny's," he told her, stumbling over the words. "Yeah. McInerny's. That's Irish, you know."

"I know, Chase," Cameron said. "I'll be there in about 20 minutes, okay? Wait for me." She hung up the phone and yawned again, packing up her things and walking out to her car.

When she reached the bar, she spied Chase standing outside the front entrance. She rolled down her window. "Robert!" she said, calling loud enough for him to hear.

He looked in the direction of the voice and smiled, sloppily sauntering to her car. "Hey, Cameron!" he said.

Cameron could se that he was totally and completely drunk. "Chase, get in the car," she said tiredly.

"Wow, Allison," Chase said when he opened the door. "You need to loosen up some. Take a chill pill or something."

"Chase, am I taking you to your house?" Cameron asked him as they got on the road. He nodded, and she said, "Why do you do this?"

"Do what?" Chase asked, sounding tired.

"Drink after you fight?" Cameron said. "Don't turn into House."

"I could've gotten high," Chase pointed out. "That's what I would've done when I was younger. Would you have preferred that, Allison?"

"Yes," she said, suddenly loud. "That way you could do it in the privacy of your own home and you wouldn't have to call me."

"Well, I'll just call Thirteen next time," Chase said. "She won't complain."

"Chase, shut up." Cameron focused her attention on the road before she got even angrier.

XXX

Cuddy smiled when she opened her door around nine that night to find House standing there. "Hey," she said, standing on her toes to give him a peck.

"I see you're feeling better," he said, walking in and closing the door behind himself.

"I slept for a while," Cuddy told him. She noticed something in his hand. "What's this in the bag?"

"Oh, this?" House said, lifting the bag in the air. "_Metal Gear Solid_ and _Grand Theft Auto_. Figured I'd set it up."

"Go ahead," Cuddy said, turning to the kitchen. "I'll be right back."

She walked into the kitchen and threw some leftover Chinese in the microwave, taking two beers out of the refrigerator. After waiting for a moment for the food, she took it out, grabbed some chopsticks, and returned to the living room. "Which are we playing fist?" she asked him, holding out his food.

"Grand Theft Auto," House said, taking the food and his beer. "Thanks."

"Sure." Cuddy sat down on the floor and took up a controller.

XXX

"Chase," Cameron said the next morning when she woke up. She'd spend the night with him to make sure he didn't hurt himself. "Chase, wake up."

"What?" he yawned, stretching out on the couch. "Cameron? What're you doing here?"

"You went and got drunk last night," she explained. "Though I have no idea why you called me."

Chase stared at her for a moment. "Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," Cameron said, standing up. "I have to go to work, though. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Um, sure," Chase said. He looked at her. "Thanks, Allison."

"Yup," she said. "Bye, Chase."

"Bye, Cameron."

She walked out of Chase's apartment and to her car, driving to her house to change. As she was changing, her phone went off. "Hello?" she answered.

"Allison, where are you?" It was Thirteen.

"Hey," Cameron answered. "I had to change."

"What do you mean?" Thirteen asked her.

"I'll explain this all to you when I get in," Cameron said.

"Okay," Thirteen agreed. "You know you're working with us 'til Chase and Taub get back, right?"

"Am I now?"

"Cuddy's say so," Thirteen said. "See you soon."

"Bye, Rem." Cameron hung up and continued to dress herself.

She reached the hospital thirty minutes later, walking in hurriedly and heading up to House's floor. She headed to his office and opened the door, seeing only Foreman and Thirteen. "Hey," she said, placing her coat on the coat rack.

"Hey, Cameron," Foreman greeted, sitting at the table. She smiled at him.

"So explain," Thirteen demanded, referring to what happened earlier.

"Oh," Cameron remembered. "Chase went and got drunk, then called me to pick him up. I stayed there to make sure nothing happened. But I had no clothes to change into, so I had to go home and change."

"You didn't sleep with him, did you?" Cameron was surprised to hear this coming from Foreman. She shot him a look that effectively shut him up.

"Oh, Cameron, here to do more paperwork?" House said as he walked in and threw his things on the desk.

"House, you know I'm with you for the week," Cameron said, somewhat irritated by Foreman's remark. "Can we work on the case?"

"You act like you don't want to be here," House said as he poured himself some coffee. "Why is that?"

Cameron ignored House and turned to Foreman. "Where were we at before yesterday happened?" she asked him, introducing herself to the case file.

"The patient told us about past drug use," Foreman said. "We figured it could be a part of the problem, but we have no idea which course of treatment to take."

"This is the 50-year-old guy, right?" Cameron asked. "Which drugs did he do?"

"Yeah," Thirteen said, sitting next to her. "He did the whole range. Marijuana, amphetamines, LSD, the whole she-bang."

"Is he still on any?"

"Just the weed," Foreman said. "He claims it's medicinal."

"Why don't you just do the detox then?" Cameron pointed out. "Tell him it's not helping him medicinally."

"That's what we were trying to figure out yesterday," Thirteen told her.

Cameron sighed heavily. "Let's go back to the start," she said.

XXX

Thirteen and Cameron went to visit Chase after work that day, arriving at his home around nine. When he answered the door, the pair could tell that he hadn't slept a good sleep since the entire incident had happened.

"Hey, guys," he said, yawning as he opened the door wider. "What's going on?"

"Just came to see how you were doing," Thirteen said.

"Cam we come in?" Cameron added.

"Oh, yeah," Chase said, leaving the door open as he walked back to his couch.

Cameron looked around at the place she used to live in, astonished by how much it hadn't changed since she'd left the year before.

"So, how's it going?" Thirteen asked him, taking a seat in the chair that sat next to the couch Chase was laying on. Cameron stood by the wall, keeping her distance.

"I have to stay home for a week," Chase told her. "It's hell."

"Maybe you shouldn't have punched Taub," Cameron pointed out to him, leaning back against the wall.

"Allison, sometimes you can't control yourself," Chase told her. "You should know about that."

"I don't understand how," Cameron said. "Can we not talk about this right now?"

Thirteen just looked at Cameron, wondering why she was so tense. She spoke up and changed the subject to something more lighthearted.

XXX

"How'd Cameron's first day back go?" Cuddy asked House while watching the news.

"She's frustrated," House said. "And I think she'd mad at Taub and Chase. It's annoying."

"Don't be mean, House," Cuddy said. "She hasn't worked with you since last year. She just needs a bit of time."

"It's still annoying," House said. "Can we go to bed, I'm pretty tired."

"Yeah," Cuddy said. "And don't you have Wilson's party to prepare for? His birthday is tomorrow."

"That's right," House said. "But you can prepare for it. It's too girlie for me."

Cuddy turned off the TV and stood up. "House, you're a wimp."

"Yes, I am," he said. "You'll be receiving the full list of things I need tomorrow morning once we get to work, peasant. Rather, you'll be making it yourself!"

"Shut up." Cuddy slapped House and laughed.

XXX

"What are you giving Wilson for his birthday?" Foreman asked Thirteen and Cameron as they sat at the table the morning of Wilson's birthday.

"I still don't know," Thirteen said. "I'm going to get something for him before the party, though."

"I'm getting him another movie poster," Cameron said. "What about you?"

"I don't know," Foreman told her. "I was thinking about a movie or something."

"Foreman, don't be lame," Thirteen said. "Get him something you know he'll love. Don't get him a _movie_."

"Dibs on a fancy pen," House said as he walked in with a small package in his hand, wrapped with paper. He took his coat off and sat at the table.

"What time is the party?" Foreman asked House, obviously thinking about how much time he had to get Wilson a gift.

"Call Cuddy and ask her," House said. "I left her in charge of the party planning."

"Why?" Thirteen asked, dialing Cuddy's number and putting the phone on speaker. "He's your friend."

"Because he's Cuddy's friend, too," House said. "And it's her job to do that kind of stuff. It's not my job."

"Hello?" came Cuddy's voice through the speaker.

"Cuddy, what time's the party?" House asked her. "And what are we having to eat? It better not be any of that healthy crap that you like."

"House, I don't have time for this," Cuddy told him. "If you don't want to plan the party, get one of your fellows to do it. I have a board meeting to get ready for."

"You buzz kill," House said, hanging up the phone. He directed his attention to the team. "Thirteen."

She perked up. "What?"

"You're planning the party now," House told her. "What time does it start and what are we having to eat?"

"Are you kidding me?" Thirteen asked, wide-eyed. "Why am I?"

"Did you not just hear Cuddy?" House said. "Now, answer the questions."

Thirteen sighed. "It'll start at seven," she said. "Let me compile a list of food and get back to you on it, okay?"

"Good," House said. "Now, back to the case. Did you all figure out a good form of treatment yet?"

"Yes," Cameron said, standing. "We'll go do it now."

"Good, go," House agreed. "And Thirteen, I want that list by four."

After doing some work on his computer, House stood up and walked over to Wilson's office, opening his door and disrupting the preparation he was trying to do for the board meeting."

"Yes, House?" Wilson said, looking up at him.

"Happy birthday," House said, taking a seat. "Sucks that you have to spend it in a meeting.

"I know," Wilson said. "But Sam's making me a dinner when I get home, so I can deal with it. Now, what do you want?"

"That's boring," House said, ignoring him. "We're going out for drinks first."

"No we're not, House," Wilson said.

"Just one drink," House said, setting the trap. "Meet me at my office at seven."

"But House," Wilson objected as his friend stood up.

"Not a question," House responded. "Meet me at seven."

Wilson sighed. "Fine."

"Excellent," House said, satisfied that he'd successfully lured Wilson. "I'll see you then. Have fun at your little meeting."

House made his way to the patient's room then, seeing his downsized team inside. Walking into the room, he said, "You caused quite the controversy with my team the other day."

The man looked at him. "Did I know?" he asked. "That scuffle I heard outside my room was your team?"

"Why do you think that two of them aren't here?" House asked him. "Have you met Dr. Cameron?"

"He has," Cameron said. "And his kidneys are failing."

House walked over, and just then alarms started going off. He looked at the monitor and saw that the patient was crashing. "I need the paddles," he said as nurses started rushing into the room.

Cameron rolled the cart over and prepped the paddles, handing them to House. "Clear!" he shouted, attempting to shock the patient back to life. When that didn't work, he shouted again. "Clear!" The patient came back to them after three shocks, and his O2 sats returned to normal.

XXX

"Thirteen, did you get that list together?" House asked later as they sat at the table.

Thirteen handed him the paper on which she compiled her list, and he stood up, grabbing his coat. "I'll be back in an hour," he said.

XXX

"House?" Wilson called. "I'm ready."

"Surprise!"

XXX

** Ah, chapter 6. This was the chapter my friend was waiting for because Chase punched Taub. I don't think I wrote that fight too well, by the way, but I can't write fights. My stories are always warm and fluffy and stupid xD But you tell me. Thanks for all the reviews, they're helping me out more than you know. I love you 3**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Surprise!" Wilson heard the small group of people shout when he walked into the room. He laughed, surprised by them.

"What is this?" he asked as Sam came up to hug him tightly.

"Happy birthday, Wilson!" Thirteen and Cuddy said with smiles.

"Is this why we were going out for drinks?" Wilson asked House, smiling happily and taking the drink being offered to him. He sat at the table. "So you could lure me here to party?"

House nodded. "Yes, sir," House said. "Admit it, you're excited."

"I am," Wilson said. "Thanks for planning this, House. I appreciate it."

"I didn't plan it," House said. "I'm too good for that. Thirteen did it all. I was too busy doing nothing. Thanks for the praise, though!"

Everyone laughed, and Wilson said, "Thank you, Thirteen. Even though you were probably forced."

Thirteen hugged Wilson. "You're welcome, Wilson," she said. "I'm glad you like it."

The party lasted for several hours, and was full of love and laughter. The stresses of work and life were forgotten as the friends spent time together. However, Sam was ready to leave after some time.

"Wilson, do you mind if I cut some slices from Chase and Taub?" Cameron asked, pointing the knife at the half of the cake that was left.

"It's fine by me," he said as he put on his coat. "Tell them that I said hi when you drop by."

Sam came up and took Wilson's arm, leaning her head on his shoulder. "We should go," she said. "I have to be up early tomorrow."

"Okay," Wilson said, turning to his friends. "Thank you guys all so much for this. I appreciate it."

"Happy birthday, Wilson," Cameron, Thirteen, and Cuddy said again, all of them giving him hugs.

"Take the rest of the cake," House told him. "Cuddy'll eat it and get fat. I'll have to dump her." Cuddy smacked him hard on the arm and then gave Wilson another hug.

Wilson picked up the box containing the cake and thanked everyone again before exiting the room with Sam.

"Foreman, can you take this to Taub?" Cameron asked, holding out one of the pieces of cake that she'd cut. Foreman nodded and took the cake, saying "goodnight" to everyone and then also leaving the room.

Cameron and Thirteen put on their coats, and Thirteen waited by the door as Cameron said her goodnights to House and Cuddy.

"That was fun," Thirteen said as she walked out the door with Cameron.

"It was," Cameron said. "I haven't had that much fun in such a long time."

"Neither have I," Thirteen agreed. "Why are you mad at Chase?" She looked at Cameron, her eyes softly demanding an explanation.

"What do you mean?" Cameron asked as they reached the parking garage. She unlocked the car. "I'm not upset with Chase."

"Yes, you are, Allison," Thirteen said before climbing into the car. "Don't lie. Tell me."

"I'm not upset with Chase," Cameron repeated, starting up the vehicle.

"You have been since the night he called you," Thirteen said, denying what Cameron said. "What happened, Allison?"

Cameron was silent for a moment. "He told me he probably should've gotten high instead of drunk," she said. "And I said he should've because then he wouldn't have to call me every time something happened to him and he needed a ride or a scapegoat."

Thirteen looked at her. "This has happened before?" she asked, concern in her eyes.

"Yeah," Cameron said. "And each time, he calls me. Why can't he call someone else? Does he realize the toll that it takes on me?"

"How would he know, Allison?" Thirteen pointed out. "Every time it happens, he's drunk to the point that he can't remember anything in the morning."

"I don't know, Remy," Cameron said as she attempted to focus on the road.

"Well, why don't you talk to him then?" Thirteen suggested. "You can do it while we're over there tonight."

Cameron nodded in agreement.

XXX

"That was nice of you to throw a party for Wilson, you know," Cuddy said, smiling as she climbed into the bed next to House.

"I don't do nice," House said, eating a leftover piece of cake. "That's why I tried to pass it of to you. And then I did pass it off to Thirteen."

"You were still behind the whole thing," Cuddy said. "So it was still nice."

"You want to kill me with this, don't you?" House laughed. "I didn't have anything to do with the party. I only got Wilson to come to my office, that's about it."

Cuddy looked at House. "You just don't want to admit that you're a nice guy."

"Because I'm not," House said.

"Yes, you are, House," Cuddy teased him.

"Shut up, Cuddy."

"Nope," she said with a smug smile on her face. "Don't lie."

House heard Rachel cry in the other room. "I've got it," he said, standing up and throwing on a robe.

"You're just trying to avoid me teasing you," Cuddy said. She turned onto her stomach, looking at House as he began to leave the room.

"Nope," House said. He looked back at her. "I'll be right back. Don't run away out that window, or I'll find you."

"I bet you will." Cuddy turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling as House left the room.

After two minutes, she stood up and walked to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and took out the bottle of orange juice, taking a swig of it straight out of the bottle. She jumped when she heard a snicker, and found House standing behind her with Rachel in his arms. She giggled and reached out for her mother.

"What?" she asked House as she took the child from him.

"You drank that straight from the bottle," House said, snickering again.

"I was thirsty," Cuddy said. "Shut up."

"Now we both have something on each other," House replied. "You can't tease me about Wilson anymore or I'll tell everyone that you drink from the bottle, you little 'girlie girl'." He held out his hand.

Cuddy took the extended hand and shook it. "You're such a little kid," she said.

"And?" House took Rachel back and pulled Cuddy to her feet. They walked to Rachel's bedroom. House took her and laid her down gently in the tiny toddler bed.

"You're really good with her," Cuddy told House on the way back to her room.

"If you tell anyone, I'll kill you," House said. He pushed Cuddy slightly and laughed.

"Oh, I won't," Cuddy said as she laid back down on the bed. "But seriously, you're really good with Rachel. Why do you think you'll do something to jeopardize us by doing something to her?"

House sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his face. "I don't know, Cuddy," he said. "I just do. Like that time when I accidentally let her swallow that dime. That could happen again, but this time it could be something bigger and it could hurt her."

"But you're doing perfectly fine," Cuddy said. "There's nothing to worry about. It's not as if that's going to happen again, because you know how she is now and you'll never let that happen again. It's actually making me appreciate you more."

"If you say so," House replied, laying back and looking at Cuddy. "Why do you make me answer these questions?"

"Because," Cuddy sighed. "You need to open up more. And I'm actually pretty curious."

"You're too curious," House said as he looked at her. "Stop that. Stop being so curious, Cuddy."

She laughed. "Nope," Cuddy said. "If I stop being curious, I won't know enough about you, and then who knows what'll happen. I might do something to cause you to break up with me!"

House looked at her. "Cuddy. You've known me for 20 years now. You know me. And I doubt that you'd do anything to cause me to break up with you."

"Just because you've known someone for 20 years doesn't mean you know every single thing about that person," Cuddy said. "But it's good that you have so much trust it me."

"I guess you have a point there," House replied. "But how about we take it as we go? I like that idea."

"As long as you don't pull that hep-A lying crap again," Cuddy said. Then she laughed. "I feel like I'm your teacher or relationship coach, something like that."

"I get to sleep with my teacher?" House said, laughing. "Win!" He gave her a kiss.

XXX

"So what'd you and Chase talk about?" Thirteen asked Cameron when she came back to the car. Thirteen had left her and Chase alone to talk while she went to a restaurant to wait for her and grab a light snack.

"Everything," Cameron said, sounding somewhat relieved.

"What's 'everything'," Thirteen asked as she turned onto the road.

"Everything," Cameron repeated. "The things that we talked about earlier, plus everything that happened before the divorce, after the divorce, before we got married." Cameron sighed. "It's a giant load off."

"I can tell," Thirteen said. "What happened before you got married? Something huge?"

"Do you know how we got together in the first place?" Cameron asked her as she propped her feet on the dashboard, obviously feeling better.

"Nope," Thirteen said. "What happened?"

"I was waiting for some news," Cameron began. "And I basically got high off meth. And then Chase came over. That's when we had sex the first time. That's what he was talking about when he said that you can't control yourself sometimes, and that I knew what he was talking about."

"You got _high_?" Thirteen said with laughter. "I wouldn't figure you for the type."

"I wouldn't either," Cameron said, looking back. "I just let go, though."

"Ah," Thirteen answered. "What happened then?"

"We were never officially a 'couple,' per se," Cameron told her. "But we did get together for a few months. But then he wanted something more, and I didn't. I came to my senses after a while, though, and then the rest is stuff that you already know."

"Wow, Cameron," Thirteen said with heaviness in her voice. "That's a good amount of history that goes between you two."

"It wouldn't seem like it to some people, but it is," Cameron agreed.

"How do you deal with it?" Thirteen asked her. "Seeing him almost everyday at work after all that happened between you guys?"

"It wasn't easy at first," Cameron laughed. "All the memories would flood back every time I saw him. I felt like I made a mistake in divorcing him. But then I started talking to you. And I knew that I made the right decision in leaving him. But it really helped to talk to him tonight, because now I know exactly how _he_ feels about all of the things that have happened between us."

"Are you glad that I forced you to talk to him?" Thirteen asked as they rounded the corner to her apartment.

"Yes," Cameron breathed. "Thanks, Rem. I love you."

Thirteen smiled and shut off the car. "I love you, too, Allison." She gave her a hug and then stepped out of the car.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Cameron asked her as she took her hand and ambled up the stairs slowly.

"Sure," Thirteen said. She reached the door and unlocked it. "Which one?"

"What do you have?" Cameron asked her, walking into the kitchen. She took two wine glasses from the cabinet and filled them, joining Thirteen on the couch. "That's good," she threw in. "There are some crappy movies out there that I definitely don't want to watch."

"Drama or comedy?" Thirteen asked, leaning on the floor to look at her collection of movies by the television.

"Do you have _Date Night_?" Cameron asked her, curling her legs up on the couch and sipping the wine from her glass.

"It's your lucky day." Thirteen turned around and smiled, holding up the movie. She put the DVD in the player and turned on the television, returning to her seat nest to Cameron.

XXX

Chase and Taub returned to work without incidence several days later. Cameron smiled at Chase and left the room, somewhat glad to be going back to her job in the ER.

"Oh, Chase is back," House said when he walked into the room some minutes later. "Don't beat me up!"

Chase looked at him. "Hah hah," he said. "Did you guys solve the case?"

"Yes," Thirteen told him. "And part of it was because of the drugs."

Chase nodded. "Is there a new case?" he asked, shifting in his chair. He looked at Taub, who, in turn, looked away.

"Not right now, no," Foreman answered as he made himself a cup of coffee. "Why don't you go look for one?"

Chase looked down. "I'll just go do clinic duty, then," he said, walking out of the room.

Thirteen followed him out of the room. "Chase," she said as she reached him. "What's going on?"

Chase avoided her eyes as he spoke. "They're alienating me," he said. "I'm sorry if it's getting to me."

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Is this about House? You know he does that all the time. It's normal."

"No!" Chase said. "No one wants me there, Thirteen. You saw how Foreman reacted."

"Chase," Thirteen said firmly. "Taub is afraid of you. They both are! Foreman just shows it by suggesting ways to keep you _away_ from him. Don't worry about them. You have me, and you have Allison. I'm sure they'll come around eventually."

Chase enclosed Thirteen in a hug. "Thank you, Remy," he said.

"Anytime, Chase," she responded. "Now, get back to that conference room."

XXX

"Did Chase and Taub's first day back go well?" Cuddy asked House as they left for the day. "Nothing happened?"

"Nope," House said. "They started a fist fight, and then everyone on my floor got into it. Except for me, of course." When Cuddy gave him a look, he said, "It went fine. Chase and Taub still aren't talking to each other, though."

"Why?" Cuddy asked him as they reached her car.

House leaned against it. "I don't know the exact reason, but Taub is definitely afraid of Chase. So is Foreman."

"Foreman is afraid of Chase?" Cuddy asked, somewhat confused.

"He's too much of a baby to admit it," House said. "He tried to keep Chase away from him all day, though. Told him to go do clinic duty, find a case, run tests for Wilson. That good stuff."

Cuddy sat in the front seat of her car. "You need to get a handle on your team," she said.

House looked at her. "And how the hell am I supposed to do that, Cuddy?" he asked her.

"Get Chase and Taub to start talking first," she suggested. "And then we'll go from there."

House sighed. "Your place?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I'll see you there." He shut the door for her and watched her drive away.

Walking back into the building, he saw Taub in the clinic. He opened the door and shouted, "Hey! Munchkin!"

When Taub raised his head, House motioned him over. "Yes, House?" he asked as he walked over. "I'm trying to do my clinic hours."

"I need you to start getting along with Chase," House said to him, ignoring the previous statement.

Taub pointed to his nose. "Do you not remember?" he asked, moving to go back to the clinic.

"Don't be a baby," House said. "Shake it off. I punched Chase once. What'd he do? He shook it off. Stop being a little kid and grow up."

House went to his office to grab his things, spying Chase, Thirteen, and Foreman in the room. However, while Chase and Thirteen sat together and talked between each other, Foreman sat alone at the end of the table, reading a medical journal with his feet propped up on the glass top.

House walked over to Foreman and, using his cane, knocked his feet off the table. Foreman looked up at him angrily. "I already talked to Taub," House told him. "You're tomorrow." Then he walked out of the room and down the hallway, Foreman staring after him the entire time.

XXX

"What took you so long?" Cuddy asked House when she answered the door a few hours after she had arrived at home.

"I had to pick up this pizza," House said, holding up a bag. "Had to wait an hour for it. I also had to talk sense into Taub and let Foreman know that I'm talking to him tomorrow. That stuff takes a while, Cuddy."

"What'd you tell him?" she asked him. She took the pizza and sat it on the table, taking a slice for herself. She grabbed a paper plate and returned to the living room.

"That he needs to stop being a baby," House told her when she came back. "And that I've punched Chase before and he just let it go."

"And now you're going to tell Foreman that same thing tomorrow?" Cuddy asked him.

"Yup," House said as he went to get himself a slice of the pizza. "But in hood speak, so that he understands better."

"House," Cuddy said in a warning tone.

He poked his head around the corner and smiled. "Yes, Cuddy?" he asked sweetly.

"Don't do that," she cautioned. "I don't want Foreman coming to me and complaining about you."

"I won't," House said as he came back into the room. "Or at least I won't say it so that he's coming to your office complaining like a baby. Not that I haven't done it before."

"Don't be rude, House," Cuddy said. "You know that Foreman will rat on you in a second about anything if it meant that he could go back to being the head of your department."

House thought about that fact. "You're probably right," he said. "Doesn't mean I won't do it."

"You're a piece of work," Cuddy laughed. She settled back on the couch.

"So?" House asked.

"So don't jeopardize your work," Cuddy said. "As your boss, I'd have to seriously consider giving Foreman your job if he asked for it or if you did something to him."

"Okay, Cuddy." House laughed.

XXX

Cuddy walked into House's office the next day, handing him a file. "Found you a case," she said, smoothing out her skirt.

House stared at her. "Put your boobs away," he said. "Those are mine. And the one time that I don't feel like working a case is the time when you find me one?" He put his glasses on and opened the file, leafing through it.

Cuddy folded her arms. "You haven't had a case in almost a week," she said. "It's time you had one. Get to it."

House left her to exit the office as he walked into the conference room. He threw the file on the table and took up the marker, writing the patient's symptoms on the board. "DDx."

"Lupus?" Foreman said. He grew sheepish when House threw him an angry look.

"Some kind of bone disease or blood cancer?" Thirteen suggested. "Leukemia?"

"It's only in her legs," House said. "Don't rule that out, though."

"Her leg is broken?" Chase noted from the file. "What about early-onset osteoporosis?"

"The rest of her bones are fine," House said. "It's just the one leg."

"It could be an infection," Taub said, finally speaking up after several days.

"He lives!" House said dramatically. Taub only stared at him.

House stood for a moment before coming to a decision. "Go test Buzz Killington's theory," he said, dismissing the team.

He headed over to Wilson's office. After opening the door, he sat down in the chair across from his friend. "Still doing poker night tonight?"

"What time?" Wilson asked, looking up from his papers.

"Seven," House told him. "You can bring the cigars."

"Sam's going to want me home," Wilson responded.

"She's got you so whipped," House said. "What does it matter? We do it once every two weeks now. She's dealt with it before."

"She's annoyed every time it happens," Wilson said. He started to sign more documents, returning his focus.

"Deal with it, Wilson," House reprimanded. "Don't be a wuss. You're not leaving early to please her."

"Shut up, House," Wilson replied. "I'll be there, don't worry about it."

House moved to the door. "Don't forget the cigars," he said.

"I won't, House," Wilson said in a dismissive tone.

After his conversation with Wilson, House sat for several hours in his office, waiting for nothing in particular. His team returned just as he was about to leave for the day to set up for his poker game with Wilson.

"Leaving so soon?" Foreman remarked as he walked in the door and saw House putting on his jacket.

"I have a hot date," he told him. "What'd you guys find out?"

"He doesn't have any type of infection," Thirteen said. "We're looking into viruses right now."

"Keep me updated," House said as he walked out the door.

XXX

"Is your team back to normal yet?" Wilson asked House as he inspected the hand he was dealt. "All in."

"Call," House responded, showing his cards. "Nope. Taub is still afraid of Chase, Foreman is still siding with Taub, Thirteen with Chase. But work is getting done, so at this point I really don't care anymore."

"I guess that's good?" Wilson said, also showing his cards. "Ah, yes!" He raked the money to his body.

"It leaves less work for me," House said.

"You should work by yourself," Wilson said as he dealt the next hand. "It would show you how difficult it is."

"I already did that," House said. "The time when Chase, Foreman, and Cameron left."

"Doesn't count," Wilson told him.

"How does that not count, Wilson?" House asked.

"You got help from Cuddy," he said. "And that weird janitor guy who didn't know anything."

House thought for a moment. "It still counts. They didn't help me that much. I was the one who put all the pieces together in the end.

"You do that 95 percent of the time, House," Wilson said, arguing his point. "So it doesn't count."

"You're seriously the most boring person ever," House said. "Why do I even hang around you?"

"I have my moments, remember?" Wilson replied, referring to the incidents at both the medical conference where they met and House's father's funeral. "That's what you told me, anyway."

"I think I was lying," House said. "You definitely can't have those moments."

"Just make your move, House," Wilson said, taking a drag off the cigar and smiling smugly.

XXX

"Got anything for me?" House asked the team when he came into work the next day.

"It's a virus," Chase confirmed. "We just don't know exactly which one it is yet."

"Any new symptoms?" House asked, moving to the board.

"Body aches and heart palpitations," Thirteen told him. "The heart palpitations could be separate, though. I'm thinking something in the nervous system."

"Don't jump to conclusions," Foreman said. "It could all be heart related."

"Check all the possibilities," House said. "Foreman, Chase, check the house just in case it's environmental."

Foreman looked at House. "Really?"

"I could always fire you instead," House proposed. Instead of risking it, Foreman stood up and put on his coat.

"And what are we supposed to do?" Thirteen asked, leaning back in her chair and looking straight into House's eyes.

"I said check all possibilities," House said. "You and Taub, go run blood tests for everything that you can think of. And Thirteen?"

She looked back. "Yes?"

"Don't beat Taub up," House said. "He only has one little shred of dignity left, wouldn't want him to lose it."

Taub scowled to himself and walked out of the room, Thirteen following.

House walked to his office and sat down. He turned on his Apple and logged in, planning on playing several games of solitaire. However, Cuddy walked in at that moment.

"Yes?" House said, not looking up.

"Where's your team?" Cuddy asked him.

"Working on the case that you so hastily threw at me yesterday," House told her. "Why?"

"No reason," Cuddy said. "They're all working together?"

"Well, Taub is with Thirteen, and Foreman is with Chase."

"Why would you put them together?" Cuddy asked in disbelief.

"You're the one who told me to get them working together," House said as he finally looked at her. "That's what I'm doing."

"And they did it willingly?" Cuddy asked him incredulously.

"I had to threaten Foreman with termination," House told her. "But besides that, everyone did it with no complaints."

"I guess that's good," she answered. "You need to keep having them do that. Especially Chase, he's been in multiple fights here already."

"I'm aware, Cuddy," House said. "I was there the first time."

"You still need to keep him in check," Cuddy said. "And stop playing solitaire when you're supposed to be doing work."

"Cuddy," House said. "There's nothing for me to do."

"Sign off on those cases there," she said as she pointed to the manila folders on the desk. "That would give you something to do."

"Maybe, Cuddy," House told her. "One step at a time."

"Do it," she said as she exited the room.

House took one look at the files on his desk and then decided to return to his game of solitaire.

XXX

Foreman and Chase surveyed the house, not talking to each other and collecting different pieces of evidence. While they knew that they would most likely be scolded if and when House found out, neither of them could care less.

XXX

"Why did you side with Chase?" Taub asked Thirteen as they waited for the results from the blood tests in Pathology.

Thirteen looked down at Taub. "Are you really asking me that?" she asked.

"I'm just wondering," Taub said honestly.

"Chase is one of my closest friends in this place," Thirteen said. "I'm not going to side against my best friend. And why are we talking about sides? We're grown."

"I have no idea," Taub said, sounding embarrassed. "Forget I said anything."

"But you asked for a reason," Thirteen said.

"Aren't you the one who asked why we're talking about this?" Taub asked, avoiding the answer.

"Yeah," Thirteen said. "But now I want to know."

Taub sighed. "I feel like you should side with me," he said to her.

She looked at him. "Why?"

"I've known you longer," Taub said. "We came in together. I feel like you should be closer to me, that's all."

"Okay, first off, you made that sound like you want me in your little man pants," Thirteen said, knowing that she sounded immature. "And I never talked to you. I talked to Chase more. It's just something that you'll have to deal with."

Taub looked at her. "I was just making a point," he said. He then turned his attention to the test results that'd just come in.

XXX

"Why do I have two different collections of evidence in front of my face?" House asked when he walked into the lab where Chase and Foreman were. They turned around at the same time.

"Because," Foreman said.

"I want a _reason_," House said. "I've got no time for this."

"Foreman didn't want to work with me," Chase said to him. "It's not my problem. I did what I was supposed to when I went to that house."

"Looks like he threw you under the bus there," House said. "Work on the evidence to find the answer. _Together._"

"Fine by me," Chase said. Foreman sighed in discontent and got to work.

House left the room and returned to his office to find Taub and Thirteen, sitting silently and waiting for him.

"Blood tests?" he asked them.

"Inconclusive," Thirteen said to him. "We're running them again—hopefully we'll get an answer this time."

"Why aren't you in the lab running the tests yourself?" House asked, looking at the pair meaningfully. They stood up and left the room, leaving House alone to ponder the case in privacy.

He walked into Wilson's office, hoping to talk to his friend about the case before him. However, Wilson wasn't there. House, wanting to know where he was, took the elevator down to Cuddy's floor and went to her office. She was alone, no Wilson in sight.

"Do you know where Wilson is?" he asked her, sitting down in the chair across from her.

"Nope," Cuddy said. "Maybe he's doing his clinic hours. Like _you_ should be."

"Oh, hah hah," House said sarcastically. "He's not there, I checked all the rooms."

"Why do you need to talk to him so badly?" Cuddy asked, a hint of curiosity coloring her voice.

"I'm bored."

Cuddy sighed. "Have you looked in the oncology ward?" she asked him. "It would make sense, seeing as he's head of the department."

"That's smart," House said as he stood up. "Thanks, Cuddy."

House left the room and headed to oncology, where he did end up finding Wilson. He was talking to the kids in the playroom.

"What are you doing?" House asked him, coming to sit down.

"Telling a story," Wilson whispered. "Why are you here, House?"

"I'm bored," House told Wilson as he continued on with his story. "I decided to go to your office, but you weren't there. So I went searching and I found you here."

"Cuddy told you where I was," Wilson said in a hushed whisper as the cancer-stricken kids laughed at his story.

"How'd you know that?" House asked him

"You would never think to look for me here," Wilson explained. "Cuddy would. When you didn't find me in my office or the clinic, you went to her and she told you to look here."

House looked at him. "She called you," he said in an accusatory tone.

"Nope," Wilson said. "You're just extremely predictable."

XXX

I decided to end the chapter there, because it was getting long. I didn't end it in my notebook, however; the extra parts will go on to become chapter eight. But anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Sorry I didn't put it up as quickly as I usually do (though this was fast). I've just had an emotionally stressful week and had absolutely no time to write until now. So I hope you liked this chapter, and stay tuned for more :D I love you forever, thanks for reading 3


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Wilson thinks I'm predictable," House said over dinner that night.

"You are," Cuddy told him.

He stared at her. "How so?"

"You do the same things everyday," Cuddy said. "Tell your team to run tests, visit Wilson, visit me, sleep, berate your team. The process repeats like that."

"I don't do those things," House said in disbelief. "That'd make me boring. I change it up everyday!"

"No, you don't, House," Cuddy told him. "And you usually do it at the same time everyday, too. I always look for you around one."

"I can't be that boring," House refuted.

"Stop being dramatic," Cuddy told him. "I like knowing that you're coming to visit me.

"You should've told me I was becoming predictable," House continued. "I hate being predictable. Unpredictable is my middle name."

"Okay, House, I'll let you know next time," Cuddy said. "Should I not be expecting you at one anymore?"

"Nope. I'll be around all times of day," House told her. "So look for me."

"What if I have a board meeting?" Cuddy asked. "Or an important meeting with a beneficiary?"

"Then I'll just sit quietly in the corner of the room," House said.

"Quietly?" Cuddy asked in disbelief. "Sure you will."

XXX

"Any results from the new blood test?" House asked his team the next day. He took a seat at the table and looked around at his team for the answer.

"Yeah," Thirteen said, handing him the results. "And the rest of her body's starting to hurt now. I think it's safe to say that we can rule Leukemia back in."

"I told you not to rule it out," House reminded her. "We'll get Wilson to check on that, so that we can pass the case off to him."

"So what do we do until we find the answer?" Foreman asked House.

"What you usually do," House said. "Sit on your asses and do nothing. Is that so hard to do?"

"I'll call Wilson," Taub said as he picked up the phone. He'd just ignored what had transpired between House and Foreman.

Foreman, however, gave House a deep look of disdain. "I don't do that, you know," he said to him.

"Foreman," House said. "Shut up and sit there." He then shut the blinds and walked into his office, shutting the door so that no one could see him. The team stared after him and then returned to their business as if nothing had just happened. Foreman sat in silence, embarrassed again.

House sat in his office in the dark, contemplating what he was going to do to pass the time until Wilson got the results of his patient's cancer test. He decided to call him.

"House?" Wilson said when he picked up. "Taub just called. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"I know Taub just called," House said. "When are you running the patient's test?"

"In a few minutes, once I finish my paperwork," Wilson said. "Why? Is it important?"

"No," House told him. "Want to go to lunch?"

"Not especially," Wilson said. "I'm kind of busy working today. Tons of paperwork, I have no time for lunch. And I have to run your patient's test, too. So yeah. No time."

"You have time," House said. "Meet me in five minutes."

"House," Wilson said to him. "I have no time. Do you want me to run your test or not?"

House sighed. "Run the test and then meet me for lunch."

"Why do you even want me to have lunch with you, anyway?" Wilson asked him. "Is it really that important?"

"Yeah, it is," House said. "Meet me in an hour. Even if the test is still going. Meet me."

Wilson sighed heavily. "Fine, House," he said as he hung up the phone.

XXX

"Does my patient have Leukemia?" House asked Wilson as they stood in the lunch line together, Wilson buying House's food.

"I don't know yet," Wilson replied. "I had to rush down here to meet you, remember. The test didn't finish."

"Oh," House said. "Well, I need the results by the end of the day."

"I know, House," Wilson said. He paid for their food and walked over to an open table, sitting down and placing House's food across from him. "Now, why am I here again? I have stuff I need to be doing."

"Because I was bored," House said. "And Foreman was annoying me again. Cuddy told me I couldn't send him home."

"So you wanted to see me?" Wilson said awkwardly. "Why?"

"You said I was predictable," House told him. "So I can't go to Cuddy's office because I have to start being unpredictable again."

"You're so immature," Wilson said. "You pulled me away from my work so you wouldn't have to deal with _Foreman_. What the hell."

"Don't act like you hate it," House said. "You know you wanted to get away from all that work."

"But not to deal with this dumbness," Wilson fired back. "I need a real reason for being here, or I'm leaving."

"Um, want to do something this weekend?" House asked him, trying to get Wilson to stay. "With Cuddy and Sam?"

"Like what?" Wilson asked.

"I don't know," House said. "You pick this time. I picked paintball."

"Well," Wilson said. "I have a few ideas."

XXX

"So, what're you doing for your birthday?" Chase asked Thirteen as they sat around waiting for the test results. Her birthday was two days from then.

"I don't know," Thirteen said. "Probably just going out to dinner with Cameron or something. You should come."

"Would Cameron mind if I came?" Chase asked her.

"I don't know," Thirteen said. "I'm pretty sure she'd like it if you came. But even if she doesn't want you to come, it's my party. So I'm inviting you."

"Well, thanks then," Chase said.

"Plus," Thirteen continued. "You guys are getting along better now than you were. It should be just fine." She offered him a smile, which he returned.

"I guess," Chase said. "Where were you planning on going, anyway?"

"I don't really know," Thirteen said. "Probably just a nice little restaurant or something, nothing too fancy though."

"Well, it sounds like fun," Chase told her. "I'll pay for it." He smiled.

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that," Thirteen said, dismissing him.

"Yeah, I do," he insisted. "I'll split it with Allison. But you're not paying a thing."

"Chase," Thirteen said, trailing off.

Cameron walked in then. "Allison, are we paying for Rem's birthday dinner?" Chase asked her immediately.

"Um, yes?" Cameron said. "Why wouldn't we? It makes sense."

"Because I don't _want_ you to," Thirteen said. "You don't have to."

"But we want to," Cameron said with a tone of finality. "Where's House?"

"No idea," Chase said. "Why don't you look in either Wilson's office, Cuddy's office, or the cafeteria? They're the only places he goes to."

"I guess that makes sense," she said. "Why are you guys just sitting here, anyway?"

"Because House told us to sit on our asses and do nothing," Thirteen said. When Cameron gave her a look, she said, "House's words, not mine. Just doing what we're told."

"Would you two mind helping me out in the ER then?" Cameron asked them. "I was going to ask House's permission, but seeing as he's not here…." She left the sentence open-ended.

"Sure, that's no problem," Chase said, standing up. "How long do you think it'll take?"

"I have no idea," Cameron said. "We don't have tons of patients, but I just felt like springing you two from the clink."

Thirteen laughed at her. "Thanks," she said. "It was getting boring in here anyway. The only thing I had to do was talk to Chase."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Chase said as they all walked out of the room together.

Cameron laughed at him. "Maybe it is, you don't know," she said.

"You're the most boring person in the world," Thirteen told him jokingly. "Sorry, but you need to get some help with that or no one's going to want to talk to you anymore. Including me. I will shun you."

"Wow, that's not rude or anything," Chase said, laughing as he and the two women entered the elevator.

XXX

"Where's Chase and Thirteen?" House asked when he returned to the conference room several hours later. He'd spent the majority of the day bothering Wilson, though he'd never admit it.

"Helping Cameron out in the ER," Taub said in an uncaring tone.

"Why," House asked. "The ER isn't busy today. What if I need them here?"

"Not my problem," Taub responded. "Go find them and drag them back here if you want to."

"Does the patient have Leukemia?" Foreman asked House, trying to change the subject. He was successful.

"Yeah," House told him. "Case closed. Now, who wants to go get Chase and Thirteen and bring them back here?"

"Why?" Taub asked. "If we're done with the case and we don't have a new one, why do they need to be here?"

House looked at Taub. "Does it matter?" he asked. "How long have they been gone?"

"About two or three hours," Foreman said. "No one's keeping count. Cameron was going to come find you and ask you, but you weren't here so she decided not to. But since you told us that we should basically just sit here, she decided to take them and have them do work for her."

"Good to know," House said. "Gold star to Foreman. Taub, you're doing the paperwork by yourself."

Taub threw him a look. "What?"

House sat a box down in front of him. "You need to go through these papers and sign off on them for me. Bye." House grabbed his coat and walked out of the room, and Taub looked at Foreman.

"Get to it," Foreman said with no sympathies. "It's not going to get done by itself, you know."

"You want to help or something?" Taub asked him, looking at the pile of papers in front of him.

"Not especially," Foreman said honestly. "In fact, I'm going to leave, too. Bye."

Taub sighed and started on the paperwork that would most likely keep him in that conference room until very late that night.

XXX

"How do you deal with all of these annoying people everyday?" Chase asked Cameron while the three of them sat at a table in the cafeteria.

"You get used to it," Cameron replied. "And plus, I worked with House for three years, remember. You should be used to it, too."

"I guess," Chase said. "It could be worse." He looked at Thirteen. "You going to eat that pizza there?"

She slid the plate over to him. "Take it, I'm not hungry," she said. "They are kind of annoying though, Cameron. Even by House standards."

"Really?" Cameron said. "I hadn't really noticed all that much."

"You don't notice when the patient's are complaining over a little tiny cut," Thirteen asked. "Or when nothing's even wrong with them in the first place?"

"I had someone complain to me because her hair was messed up for _20_ minutes," Chase said, eating the pizza he had been given. "And her leg was broken in two places from a car accident. But no, she wasn't complaining about that. She was complaining about her _hair_."

Cameron laughed. "Really, Chase?" she said incredulously. "She complained about her hair? That's a first that I've ever heard."

"I'm not lying," Chase said seriously. "She really did complain about her hair. And when I sent her to x-ray, she asked someone for a brush. Ignored the pain that was obviously radiating through her leg."

"Maybe it's because your hair is so luxurious," Thirteen said, wiggling her fingers. "She thought you could relate to her."

Cameron laughed. "Rem's actually got a valid point there, Chase," she said to him. "Could be because of your hair."

"I doubt that," Chase said. "I really do."

"Okay, Chase," Cameron said with a laugh. She whispered to Thirteen then. "I still think it's because of the hair."

"So do I," Thirteen whispered back, loud enough for Chase to hear it. "So, my most interesting case was this woman who had her finger eaten off by a giant leopard."

"A leopard?" Chase and Cameron asked her at the same time.

"Yeah," Thirteen told them. "She was stupid, poked her finger through the fence at the zoo. And it ate her finger."

Chase laughed. "Cameron, these people are idiots!"

"I told you, you get used to it!" Cameron said with another laugh. "That's actually somewhat normal. Except it's usually with dogs, not giant oversized cats. That part's not normal."

Chase and Thirteen looked at Cameron. "You need to stop working there if you think it's normal," Thirteen told her, using a serious tone. "Immediately."

Cameron laughed. "I didn't say I enjoyed it," she qualified. "I just said it was normal. Those are two totally different things."

"Okay, Allison," Chase said, taking another bite of the pizza. "If you say so. Believe what you want."

Cameron smacked Chase and Thirteen on their arms and laughed.

XXX

"So what're we doing with Wilson and Sam again?" Cuddy asked House that night as they sat on his couch.

"He wants to do a movie or something," House said as he sipped his beer. "Or go out to dinner. Girlie man."

"Do you want to do it, though?" Cuddy asked him carefully, lying down.

"I don't really know," House said. "I'm not the 'I love going out to dinner' kind of guy, you know."

"I noticed," Cuddy said, thinking back to after paintball when House complained the entire time about couples at surrounding tables. "What do you want to do?"

"I'm not exactly sure," House said. "I don't know what's good that I would enjoy. Besides monster trucks or poker."

"Well, think of something," Cuddy told him. "When did you want to do it, anyway?"

"I was thinking some point this weekend," House said. "That way it gives me time to prepare in case something bad happens. Or if I have to cancel because I just don't feel like going or something."

"Aren't you the one who brought it up to Wilson in the first place?" Cuddy asked.

"Wilson," House sighed. "Such the little blabber mouth. Does he tell you everything?"

"Just the stuff that the two of you talk about," Cuddy told him. "It's all completely normal. You should be used to me telling you that Wilson tells me what you talk about. It's kind of known now that when you talk to Wilson, you're basically talking to me."

House laughed a little. "I have to beat Wilson up. Can't have him telling you every little detail of what we spend our time talking about. You'd fire us."

"Why, because you do no work of your own and interrupt Wilson's work?" Cuddy asked. "Or is it because you talk trash about me?"

"Oh, definitely because we're talking trash," House teased her. "We talk trash about you every day. And Wilson does his work at the same time. So there's nothing you can do about it in the first place."

"You just said I could fire you," Cuddy pointed out.

"And now I'm taking it back," House said. "So there. I win."

"You're such a child, House," Cuddy told him, laughing.

"So you've said one thousand times before," House said dramatically. "And you're about fifty percent mother to me, so the feelings are reciprocated. I can't give you 100 percent mother because Wilson holds that position. He'll probably win the mother of the year award."

"You're so mean to him," Cuddy laughed. "Isn't he supposed to be your best friend or something?"

"The best mother any guy could have!" House said dramatically. "He's the kind of mother that you can joke around with and not fear being grounded."

"Okay, House," Cuddy said. "Well, as long as someone treats Wilson as if he's a guy and not a mother to disobey."

"That's your job," House said. "And Sam's. Mine is to treat him like crap and then go do things with him after work."

"You know that bothers Sam, right?" Cuddy said. "Your poker nights and when you steal him away to the bars at night."

"And?" House asked, turning on the television.

"You should take her into consideration," Cuddy said. "Apparently half the time she doesn't even know that you guys are doing something until Wilson's late coming home."

"But that just gives you two more time to talk, doesn't it now?" House said. "And I have him home at a reasonable time now."

"Compared to before they got back together?" Cuddy asked.

"Oh, yeah," House said, drawing out the words. "I used to have him getting back home at three in the morning. I'd say eleven or midnight is an improvement, wouldn't you?"

Cuddy sighed. "I guess you've got a point. And that just gives me more woman-to-woman time with Sam."

House's eyes widened. "You spend time with _Sam_?" he said.

"Yup," Cuddy told him happily. "When you have your little game nights or when you take Wilson to the bar, Sam comes over here for drinks. It happens almost every time."

"Since when?" House asked her.

"Oh, I don't know. A couple months ago. We figured it would be a good arrangement."

"So why does she complain that Wilson needs to be home if she's with you, then?"

"I don't know," Cuddy said. "Her choice, I guess."

House looked at her. "That's just… weird," he said. "You hanging out with Sam?"

Cuddy just laughed at him. "Hey, you started it," she said.

XXX

"Wilson, do you know what our women do when we're out together?" House asked as he barged into Wilson's office.

Wilson looked up. "What do they do, House?" he asked, going along with House's words.

"They _get together_," House said.

"In what way?" Wilson asked, now intrigued.

"Sam'll go to Cuddy's, and vice versa," House said. "And they talk about things. I think they probably talk about us."

"Well, that's to be expected," Wilson said. "What else would they talk about, House?"

"I don't know," he answered. "The weather or something. It's just weird, Wilson. I don't like it."

"You don't like anything, House. Why don't you just go along with it? It's not like something's going to happen."

"But it _could_," House said. "Don't just put this on the wayside, Wilson. Don't. We've got to do something about it."

"Like what?" Wilson asked. "And why does it bother you so much, anyway?"

"Not go out all the time anymore," House said. "And it just… it just does, Wilson. Don't ask me why."

"House, just go with it. Nothing's going to happen."

House sighed. "I can't believe this doesn't make you feel weird about everything now."

"It doesn't really matter to me, House," Wilson said.

XXX

"Can we go now?" Chase asked Cameron when he walked back to her after several hours in the ER. Thirteen followed him.

"You can leave whenever you want," Cameron said, head in her papers. "Just don't feel bad when I guilt trip you for not staying."

Chase sighed. "I'll give you another hour," he said, returning to the curtained stations and picking up a new file.

Thirteen looked at Cameron. "What about me? Can _I _leave?"

Cameron looked back at her. "If Chase can't leave, what makes you think that you can?"

"But," Thirteen said, trying to think of a reason. "We're dating?"

"Doesn't count," Cameron said. "I'm leaving when Chase leaves, so you have an hour too. Take it or leave it. It is meaning me."

Thirteen sighed theatrically. "Fine," she said. "But I'd better get something good out of this."

XXX

"Are Thirteen and Chase in the ER again?" House asked Taub and Foreman, who were sitting at the table reading medical reports.

"Yup," Foreman said.

"They've been there the past couple days," Taub said. "Maybe you should find a case or something, then they'd be here."

"Don't tell me what to do, Taub," House said. "I'll find a case when I feel like finding a case."

"You were complaining about Thirteen and Chase not being here," Taub said. "I was just helping you find a way to have them here and not with Cameron."

"Shut up, Taub," House said. "You've already dug yourself into a deep hole. What are you guys doing, anyway?"

"Sitting here doing nothing," Foreman said. "We've completed our clinic hours for the week and we can't just take off for no reason."

"Yes you can," House said. "I do it all the time."

"We're not you," Foreman said, standing up. "I'm going to go look for a case for us to solve."

Just then, Chase came bustling through the door with Thirteen on his heels. "Found a case," he said, prompting Foreman to reclaim his seat.

"Ah, Chase!" House said. "Thirteen! Nice to see you after all this long time."

"House, we were in the ER for two or three days," Thirteen said. "Maybe if you found a case sooner, we'd have been here."

Taub threw a deep look at House.

"Ah," House sighed. "What are the symptoms?"

Chase listed off the symptoms one by one.

XXX

"What time is the dinner again?" Chase asked Thirteen on the day of her birthday.

"I'm thinking six or seven," Thirteen said. "Where is it?"

"Not telling," Chase said, pretending to zip his lips shut. He and Cameron wouldn't disclose the name or location of the restaurant to Thirteen, which bothered her immensely.

"Why?" she asked. "I want to _know_."

"Stop whining," Chase said. "You'll know soon enough. It's already four!"

"Which means I have to wait for another two hours or so. I don't want to wait that long."

"You sound like such a kid right now," Chase said to her. "Stop whining about it, or Allison and I won't take you out at all."

"Now that's just mean," Thirteen complained. "And I don't sound like a kid, thank you very much."

"What is Rem complaining about now, Chase?" Cameron asked as she walked into the room. "The fact that we won't tell her where we're eating out tonight?"

"You got it," Chase informed her. "Tell her to stop whining."

"Stop whining, Rem!" Cameron laughed. "You'll know soon enough."

"Stop saying that," Thirteen complained loudly. "It's so annoying. I know I'll know soon enough, I just don't want to wait."

She consistently asked Chase and Cameron where they were taking her for the next two hours, until the time came to leave. As they walked out, she asked again. "Where are we going?"

"You'll know soon," Cameron said. "It's not that far away from here. But we have to go home first so you can get changed and all that good stuff."

"I don't like waiting," Thirteen grumbled. "Tell me."

"Nope," Chase said. "Deal with it." He turned to Cameron. "Do you want me to come to your place or to meet you at the restaurant."

"Um, come on over," Cameron said, climbing into her car. "I'll be there, you're not too far away or anything."

"Alright," Chase said, walking over to his car. "I'll be there soon. Maybe a half hour or so."

"That's fine by me," Cameron said, while Thirteen sat grumbling the entire time.

Cameron started up the car and drove away from the hospital. "What are you mumbling over there, spoil sport?"

"I want to know where we're going," Thirteen said. "I don't like surprises, you know."

"This isn't that much a surprise," Cameron said. "You already know we're going out to dinner, you just don't know _where_ we're going."

"Yeah. I don't like that," Thirteen said. "And now I have to dress up, too" She made a retching sound.

"Don't be like that," Cameron said. "You're going to love it."

"Who's going to be there, Allison?" Thirteen asked her. "It better not be anyone else but you and Chase."

"Oh, there's not going to be," Cameron said. "I made sure of that."

"Good," Thirteen said. "Now, how dressed up to do I have to get?"

XXX

The doorbell rang about 45 minutes after Cameron and Thirteen had arrived at home. Cameron threw open the door and announced, "You're late, Robert."

Chase laughed nervously. "I know, I'm sorry," he said. "I got caught up in a phone call."

"No excuse," Cameron laughed. "Let's go. Whose car are we taking?"

"We can take mine," Chase said. "It's bigger."

Cameron pulled a hesitant Thirteen out of the apartment and down the stairs, Chase close behind them. "Thirteen, you're sitting in the back," she ordered.

"But why?" Thirteen said.

" 'Cause I said so," was all Cameron said.

Thirteen huffed. "I can never get what I want anymore," she complained as she took her seat in the car.

Chase laughed at her. "Stop complaining, you're going to love it. I promise."

"I don't believe you, either," Thirteen said. "If I was going to enjoy it so much, you and Cameron wouldn't be kidnapping me."

"We're not kidnapping you," Cameron said. "You already know exactly what we're doing. Doesn't count as kidnap."

Thirteen sighed and settled back in the seat, not uttering another word until they arrived at the restaurant a short time later. "You brought me here?" she asked, the hint of a smile in her voice.

"Yup," Chase and Cameron said in unison.

Thirteen smiled. "I love this place," she said, looking up at the illuminated sign giving away the name of the restaurant: Phoque Noir.

"I told you that you'd love it," Cameron said.

Thirteen stepped out as Chase held open the door for her. "This is one of the hardest places to get into in Princeton! How'd you do it?"

Cameron smiled. "I booked it about a month or so ago," she said. "Long waiting list, you know. Took me forever just to get through to them."

"Knowing I'd say I just wanted to go to dinner?" Thirteen asked. Cameron nodded and smiled.

"And you knew the entire time?" Thirteen asked Chase.

"That's why I asked you what you were going to do for your birthday," Chase asked.

The three of them walked into the front door and announced their reservations to the usher. A waitress directed them to their table.

"You two are devious!" Thirteen said, looking at her menu. "I hate you two."

"No, you don't," Cameron said.

"We love you two," Chase followed. "Now, order and eat."

Thirteen smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"Happy birthday, Rem," Cameron and Chase said with smiles.

XXX

**Okay, chapter over. This all came from memory, because I ran out of things to write and I had to do a chapter 8. So here it is. The next chapter'll be more organized, though. I hope you liked this one, though. Once again, tell your friends, help me get noticed on here, and review to tell me what I can do to make this story ten times better. Thank you for reading! And thank you, newsession, for giving me so many helpful tips.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

House was dreaming peacefully when something caused him to wake up with a quickness. He hissed, sitting up quickly. He rubbed his leg, feeling an intense amount of pain where the muscle used to be.

"What's wrong?" Cuddy said groggily from next to him when she felt him sit up. "Are you okay?"

"Leg hurts," House said gruffly. He moved to get up.

"Where're you going?" Cuddy asked next. She sat up with him and rubbed his back soothingly.

"I need meds," House said, standing and limping (noticeably worse) out of the room. "I'll be right back."

Cuddy stared after him and leaned back in his bed. "Don't do anything rash," she warned, knowing she didn't need to. Pulling the blanket over herself to preserve the warmth, she waited for House to return.

He came back a few minutes later and climbed back into the bed. "How could you think I'd do something rash?" he asked, feigning hurt. "I'm astonished, Cuddy."

"It could happen," she answered, reaching for a hug. "Though I know you wouldn't. At least around Rachel and me."

"As long as you know that," House told her quietly.

She looked at him. "Do you know why it suddenly decided to hurt again?" she asked.

"Well, Cuddy, the pain never goes away," House said sarcastically.

"I know that, House," she said, slapping him on the chest. "Why did it suddenly decide to hurt _worse_ now?"

"My leg does that from time to time," House said. "But it's not something you get used to. It hurts like hell every time."

"Does the ibuprofen work?"

"It takes away some of the pain," House said, rubbing his leg again. "But it takes a while to go back to the normal pain level that I'm used to dealing with."

"Oh," Cuddy said. "So your leg is still killing you right now?"

"Nothing I can't deal with," House told her. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry," Cuddy responded.

House looked at her. "Why?" he asked.

"I don't know," Cuddy said. "I just am."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Cuddy," House responded. "Don't worry yourself about it."

Cuddy smiled at him. "If you say so," she said.

"I did say so," House agreed. "Go back to sleep."

She looked at him. "You sure that you're okay?"

"Yeah," House said. "Go to sleep, Cuddy."

"Night, House," she said.

XXX

"Are you okay, House?" Chase asked the next morning when he walked in. He still had a limp that was worse than normal.

"Oh, yeah," House said. "Cuddy _destroyed_ me in bed last night." As the team turned to stare at him, he said, "Do we have a case?"

"No," Foreman said. "But Cuddy wants to see you."

"Well, she'll have to wait," House said. He left the room and walked down to the gift shop, buying himself a box of chocolates.

"Why the chocolate?" Thirteen asked when he returned a few minutes later.

"Why are you asking?" House responded.

"It's just a question," Thirteen said. "Why are you avoiding it?"

"Touché," House said after a thought. "I got it because I was hungry. Why else?"

"But chocolate?" Foreman asked. However, House had already left the room again and didn't hear the question.

He went to Cuddy's office. It was around 4:15 PM. "Chocolate?" he offered, holding out the box.

"No, thanks," Cuddy said.

"You sure?" House asked. "They're only ten cents. Or you could exchange that for sex." He winked.

Cuddy thought for a moment, then took a piece of the candy. "My sex is only worth ten cents?" she joked.

"Maybe 15 at the most," House told her.

"Well, that's good to know," Cuddy said. "Now, why the chocolate?"

"I got hungry," House said.

"So you bought chocolate?"

"Yup," House said. "You sound exactly like my team right now, you know."

Cuddy looked up at House and placed her chin on her hands. "How exactly do I sound like them, now?"

"They asked me the exact same questions just a few minutes ago," House told her. "So, you sound exactly like them."

"Oh," Cuddy said. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"What, you don't want me here?" House asked, faking upset. "I see how it is, Cuddy."

"House, stay," Cuddy laughed. "I just wanted to know why you came. I don't mind or anything, I don't have a meeting to prepare for."

"We don't have a case," House said. "And Foreman said you wanted me here, though I think it was just because you were waiting for me for the entire day since I became unpredictable. Also, I don't feel like playing solitaire and Wilson isn't here. So you're the next best thing."

"_Thanks_," Cuddy said with inflection. "I feel _so_ wanted right now. And oh, you caught me."

"Yup. You know you love it, Cuddy. Don't lie."

"Don't you have some clinic duty to get to?" Cuddy asked then with the hint of a smile.

"Nope," House said. "I'm hoping you'll let me off like that one time when I had that R-Pox case."

"I was upset with you then," Cuddy told him. "I didn't feel like seeing you. But now I'm not mad, so I'm not going to let you out of it."

"Damn it," House whispered. He then knocked her papers on the floor. "Are you upset now?"

"Nope," Cuddy said to him. "Go do your hours, House. I want three."

"Three hours?" House said with wide eyes. "That's hell. Death!"

"Deal with it," Cuddy said. "I'll see you in three hours."

XXX

"You're doing clinic duty?" Wilson said in an astonished voice when he came into the clinic and saw House filling out a file.

"Cuddy told me to," House said to him. "Believe me, I don't want to be here. And how long have you been here?"

"I've been here. I just wasn't in my office again. Surprised you didn't look for me. And since when do you do what Cuddy says?" Wilson asked. "What're you trying to get out of this?"

"Nothing," House said. "But I've got one more patient and then I can blow this pop stand."

"How many hours did you do?" Wilson asked as they walked down the hallway to the patient rooms.

"Three," House said. "Cuddy's torturing me."

Wilson laughed. "Hey, you want to go out for drinks tonight?" he asked outside of a room.

House thought about Cuddy sand Sam then, and how they got together to talk. However, he couldn't turn down drinks with Wilson. "I'm in," he said before entering the room and dealing with another annoying patient.

XXX

"What's up, Sam?" Cuddy asked when she answered the phone later that night. She took a sip of her drink.

"Wilson's out again," Sam said from the other end.

"With House, I assume?"

"Yup."

"Well," Cuddy said. "You coming over?"

Sam laughed. "I'll be there soon," she said.

Cuddy hung up the phone and tended to her daughter while waiting for Sam to arrive. She came a few minutes later, and Cuddy answered the door.

"Hey," Sam said, taking a step inside from the chilly early-March air. Rachel smiled happily when she saw her walk into the living room.

"Hey, Sam," Cuddy said. "Know where they went this time?"

"Nope," Sam responded, helping herself to a glass of the wine that was sitting on the coffee table. "Probably some bar or something."

"Oh," Cuddy said. "Want to do a movie?"

"Which one?" Sam asked, sitting down and smiling at Rachel happily.

"Something that Rach can watch with us," Cuddy said. "What about _Toy Story 3_? I haven't watched it yet."

"You have it, but you haven't watched it?" Sam asked.

"I'm either with House at his apartment or he's here and doesn't want to watch it," Cuddy said. "Not his kind of movie."

"James told me that he saw _Megamind_," Sam pointed out.

"Apparently they're different," Cuddy said as she put the DVD in the player. "He explained it to me, but I didn't know what the hell he was talking about."

"Oh," Sam said. "Well, if it made sense to him…."

"Exactly what I'm saying," Cuddy laughed. She raised her glass. "Cheers."

"Cheers."

XXX

"What do you think they're talking about?" Wilson asked House as they sat at the bar after work.

"Why the hell do you care?" House asked. "I don't think it matters. At least that's what you told me."

"It's still weird to think that they've been getting together this entire time and we never knew," Wilson said.

"Who's paranoid now?" House mumbled. "They're women. Sneaky little vixens, those two."

Wilson laughed. "They are sneaky, aren't they?" he agreed. "I don't know how Sam or Cuddy always gets home before we do."

"There's no explaining it," House said. "It's just a thing that all women are able to do."

"That's a bit sexist, don't you think?" Wilson asked him, taking a sip from the bottle in his hand.

"Wilson," House said. "Who am I?" He took a long, drawn out drink from the bottle and then slammed it down on the bar in front of him.

"Didn't you drink that a _little_ too fast?" Wilson asked as House ordered another drink. "Cuddy's going to be pissed at you if you come home drunk. And me."

"How would she be mad at you?" House asked him, raising his eyebrow.

"I'm the one who let you come home drunk," Wilson said. "And the one who invited you out for a drink in the first place."

"No one would have to know," House said, downing the shot that had just been placed in front of him. "It'll be perfectly fine."

XXX

"How the _hell_ did you let him come home like this when you were _there_?" Cuddy yelled at Wilson when he and House showed up later. Sam was nowhere in sight.

"_Don't_ yell at me," Wilson said to her. "I _told_ him not to, and I brought him back here. If you want to yell at someone, yell at him. Not me." Wilson walked out the door and to his car, leaving House to face Cuddy's wrath alone.

House tried to walk back to her bedroom, but Cuddy's yelling stopped him in his tracks.

"Outside," she said loudly. She walked to the door and stepped out, so that her yelling wouldn't disrupt the sleeping child in the back of the house.

House reluctantly followed her and shut the door behind himself. "_What_, Cuddy?"

"What have I told you about coming home drunk?" Cuddy yelled. "I specifically _asked_ you not to do it! What the hell, House?"

"Can you not yell?" House said. "Seriously. It's not even that bad."

"House! It is that bad!"

"I barely even go out for drinks anymore," House qualified. "Can you just calm down for once in your life?"

"No, House!" Cuddy yelled. "I have a _child_ in that house. I don't need you coming home, drunk out of your _mind_, and possibly _hurting_ my child. I _cannot_ have that!"

"Cuddy, no!" House exploded. "What the hell? That is a _load_ of BS. I told you I would never hurt that child. I have _no_ idea why you wouldn't believe me. High, drunk, I would never hurt her!"

Cuddy looked at him, shell-shocked. "What?" she asked in disbelief.

"Why would I risk this?" House asked. "Yes, I'll come back drunk sometimes, but I don't think I'd have that little willpower that I'd do something to Rachel. I don't understand _why_ you wouldn't believe me."

Cuddy sighed. "It's not that I don't believe you," Cuddy said to him, sitting on the bench outside her home. "I'm just scared. Scared that you might do something to hurt me or hurt her and you wouldn't even know that you did it until after the fact."

"Lisa Cuddy," House said seriously, sitting down next to her. "I would _never_ do that. I'd never risk what I have right now. I'm not an idiot."

She leaned her head against him. "I know that," she said.

"So what are you afraid of then?"

They kissed.

XXX

"So what happened after Cuddy yelled at me last night?" Wilson asked House the next day.

"We had sex," House stated blatantly.

Wilson sighed. "Before that," he said. "I knew that would happen. It's inevitable."

"We yelled at each other," House recounted. "It was really all about the kid."

"What'd she say?" Wilson asked.

"Basically that she has Rachel now," House said. "And that I could come home drunk and do something to hurt her, and she wasn't going to have it."

"And you said?"

"That I'd already promised her that I wouldn't do anything to her or Rachel," House told Wilson. "And that she had nothing to worry about."

"And then you had sex," Wilson finished.

"Yup," House said. "And it was great. Did you know that Cuddy—"

"Don't need to hear about your sex life, House," Wilson interrupted. "Don't recount every bit to me."

"But," House said.

"Don't."

"Buzz kill," House said. "Why do you always have to kill the buzz, Wilson?"

"It's my job."

XXX

"What are you and Allison doing tonight?" Chase asked Thirteen.

"Nothing, why?" Thirteen asked, taking a sip of her water.

"You want to come over?" Chase asked her. "We could watch a movie or something."

"Sure," Thirteen said. "We hang out all the time now, it's like a threesome."

Chase laughed. "What?" he said.

"I'm just saying," Thirteen said. "Not that it would ever happen or anything. But that's what it seems like to me."

"Okay, Rem,"" Chase laughed. "If you say so."

"You act like it's a bad thing," Thirteen said. "You know you're thinking about it right now. Don't admit it, though. That'd be weird."

Chase laughed. "Sure, Rem."

"So which movie are we watching, anyway?" she asked. "It better not be one of those chick flicks that you enjoy watching so much."

"You know I don't watch those," Chase said to her. "That's all Allison."

"You've got a point," Thirteen said. "We'll be there, though, promise."

"Good," Chase said. "But you've got to bring the food."

Thirteen looked at him. "And why is that?"

"I'm providing the house," Chase said. "And the movie. And drinks. You can at least bring the food."

"Well, what do you want then?" Thirteen asked, taking a piece of paper out to make a list.

"Uh," Chase thought. "Chips, salsa, nacho cheese, candy. Buy enough, though, because we're going to watch one movie."

"Jesus, Chase," Thirteen laughed. "You sound like a child."

"How do I sound like a child?" Chase asked her. He stood and poured himself a cup of the lukewarm coffee.

"Chips and candy?" Thirteen said. "That's the typical child when it comes to watching a movie."

"If you say so," Chase said.

Foreman and Taub entered the room then. "Where've you two been?" Thirteen asked them.

"The clinic," Foreman said. "There are some true idiots down there."

"Well, what do you expect?" Chase said as he took a seat next to Thirteen. "It's the clinic."

"They don't have to be so stupid," Taub said.

XXX

Cuddy smiled when the door opened. "Hey," she said. "What's up?"

"I see you're not mad at me anymore," Wilson said when he entered. "Feeling better?"

"Oh, yeah," Cuddy said. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you like I did. It was totally uncalled for."

"Don't apologize," Wilson said. "I shouldn't have brought House home drunk in the first place."

"I still shouldn't have exploded like that," Cuddy refuted.

"It wasn't that bad," Wilson said. "I knew it was going to happen anyway, so it eased the blow a little."

"What do you mean you 'knew it was going to happen?'" Cuddy asked.

"Well, I know you don't like House coming home drunk," Wilson said. "I told him not to get drunk, he did anyway. I told him we'd both get an earful, he still didn't care. So I drove him home and let him face your wrath alone."

Cuddy laughed. "That sounds like House," she said.

"Exactly," Wilson said. "Which is why I didn't want to get in the middle of it and why I just walked away."

"Good choice," Cuddy said. "I could stay upset with someone for days if I wanted to."

"I know you can," Wilson said. "It's pretty scary, actually."

"I know," Cuddy said. "Now, what'd you need?"

"Nothing in particular," Wilson said. "I just needed to know that you weren't upset with me anymore."

"Oh," Cuddy said. "I really am sorry about that."

"Seriously, Cuddy, don't worry about it," Wilson said, standing. "I'll talk to you later."

Cuddy smiled. "Bye, Wilson," she said.

XXX

"We're doing a movie night?" Cameron asked Thirteen after she told her.

"That's why we're buying chips and candy," Thirteen said. "He just invited us earlier today."

"Do you know what we're watching?" Cameron asked. She picked up some tortilla chips from the shelf and placed them in the basket on her arm.

"I have absolutely no idea," Thirteen told her. "Which salsa should we get?"

"The hot kind," Cameron said. "How do you not know which movie we're watching?"

"He didn't tell me," Thirteen said. "He just told me to get the snacks because he was providing the movies and the house."

Cameron sighed. "That sounds like Chase," she said.

She and Thirteen went to the register and paid for their products, taking them to the car. They made the short trip to Chase's, arriving only ten minutes after they'd left the grocery story. Cameron took the food out of the car while Thirteen went to ring the bell for Chase's apartment.

"Hey, guys!" Chase said when he opened the door and saw them standing there.

"How's our favorite Aussie?" Cameron asked, stepping in and putting the bag of snacks on the coffee table by the television.

"I'm good," Chase said. "What'd you get?"

"Um," Thirteen thought. "Tostitos, hot salsa, your cheese, and random candy. What're we watching?"

"Come sit," Chase said, intentionally ignoring her question. "Oh, Sugar Babies!"

"Don't eat them all at once," Thirteen laughed. "Oh wait, do it, you'll never be able to talk again, mouth all stuck together."

Cameron laughed, and Chase said, "Shut up, Rem." He sat down on the couch and pressed play, eating more candy.

"We're watching _Inception_?" Cameron said excitedly. "I've wanted to see this movie since it came out!"

"You haven't seen it yet?" Thirteen asked her. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

Chase laughed. "I agree with Rem," he said. "You've got problems if you haven't seen it. It's so good. And so are the other movies we're watching."

"I haven't had time," Cameron said. "Shut up!"

XXX

"I don't know how you eat all that stuff everyday," House said, looking at the salad on Cuddy's plate in wonder and disgust.

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

"Salads, green foods," House said. He then turned his head in the direction of a sucking sound. It was coming from Rachel. "Are you eating my cane again?" He took it away from her.

Cuddy laughed. "You've got to stop letting her get to that," she said.

"Teach her not to eat inedible objects." House wiped the spit-laden cane off on his shirt.

"Well, maybe you should stop leaving your cane in plain sight," Cuddy rebutted with a smile. "I'm just saying. Maybe it's a good idea."

"What is her fascination with the cane, anyway?" House pondered. "This is the fourth time she's tried to eat it."

"I honestly have no idea," Cuddy responded. "It's cute to watch, though."

"Yeah, if you're you."

Cuddy smiled. "I guess you've got a point," she said. "How about you put your cane on the other side of you?"

House did what Cuddy suggested, and then said, "Now, back to my original question."

"Which was?" Cuddy asked.

"How do you eat healthy food everyday?"

"Because it's good," Cuddy said. "And I recall a certain someone saying they'd dump me if I got too fat for them."

House laughed. "Oh, that's right," he said. "Well, you keep eating healthy food, then."

"Same goes to you," Cuddy replied. "So you can't go around eating pizza and meat everyday. You've got to start eating healthy."

"Not a chance in hell," House said, not caring to censor himself, as he knew that Rachel had no idea what he was saying.

Cuddy sighed. "We'll get to work on it soon."

"No, we won't."

Cuddy laughed. "Do you have a case yet?" she asked.

"Nope," House said. "The team's been on their asses all week, and I've been running between them, Wilson, and you."

"I'll find you one," Cuddy said. "First thing tomorrow morning."

"You have a meeting first thing tomorrow," House reminded her.

"Oh, that's right!" Cuddy said. "Wait, how'd you know that?" She eyed him questioningly.

"I looked through your calendar."

Cuddy slapped her hand on her face. "Of course."

"Of course."

"You've got to stop doing that." Cuddy laughed.

"No chance."

XXX

"Let's watch it again!" Cameron said excitedly. "It was so good."

"Allison," Thirteen said. "It's two in the morning. We've watched it twice and stopped every time you left the room. There's no time for that."

"Is that why it took us five hours to watch this?" Cameron asked, yawning.

"Yeah," Thirteen answered.

Cameron looked over at Chase. "Is he asleep?" she asked Thirteen.

Thirteen yawned. "Yeah," she said. "Fell asleep about halfway through the second time."

"Oh," Cameron said. "Well, maybe we should go."

Thirteen nodded in agreement and stood up. She kissed Chase's cheek and said, "Good night." Cameron followed her lead and turned off the television and lights before exiting the apartment and locking up.

"You want me to drive?" Cameron asked. "You look tired."

Thirteen tossed the keys to the car and opened the passenger-seat door. "And you're not?" she asked Cameron.

"You're way more tired than I am," Cameron said. "I have to make sure that you don't die on me from lack of sleep."

"I guess you're right," Thirteen replied. "I am pretty sleepy."

"You should take off tomorrow," Cameron proposed. "Get some sleep. You look like hell. No offense," she said when Thirteen threw her a look.

"Oh, shut up." Thirteen laughed.

XXX

"Cuddy found us a case," Foreman said when House returned from Wilson's office.

House looked around the room. "Where's Thirteen?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face. "She didn't go to another conference, did she?"

"No," Foreman said. "Can we just get to the case?"

House looked at him. "What?" he asked.

"The case," Foreman said. "That Cuddy found for us. Can we work on the case now?"

"Uh, yeah," House said. "Symptoms?"

"Sudden paralysis, blind in the left eye, facial muscles are tingling," Chase said. "And hair is falling out in chunks, but there's no evidence of radiation poisoning."

"Is the patient male or female?" House asked as he wrote the symptoms on the board.

"Female, 43," Taub told him.

"This should be fun," House said. "Foreman, Taub, check the house. Chase, do a scratch test, blood test, and then find out where Thirteen is."

"Why should I do that?" Chase asked. "I'm sure she's fine."

"Because I said so," House said. "Now, go do what I told you to do."

Chase sighed and then left the room, Foreman and Taub following him. House walked to his office and dialed Cuddy's number.

"Yes?" she asked when she answered the phone.

"I said I didn't want a case," House said immediately. "Why'd I get one?"

"Because you're a doctor?" Cuddy suggested. "You haven't had a case in a week. It won't hurt you to have a new one. Calm down."

"What happened to your meeting?" House asked. "Didn't you have that?"

"House," Cuddy said. "Meetings don't take the whole day. Most only take about a half an hour or so."

House sighed. "Fine," he said. "Your meetings need to start lasting longer. Just saying."

"I'll make sure I remember that one," Cuddy told him. "Bye, House."

House hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair, reflecting on the short day before putting on his glasses and reading over past medical files, signing his name onto each of them.

"Actually doing your own papers this time?" House looked up to find Sam.

"Nothing better to do," he said. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I came to see James," Sam said. "Thought I'd stop by and see what you were up to over here."

"Well, now you know," House said. He took the glasses off.

"Why are you in such a rush to get me out of here?" Sam asked him, taking a seat in the chair facing House's desk.

"I'm not," House denied. "Just wondering why you aren't with Wilson or Cuddy."

Sam laughed. "You're still on that?" she asked. "Wilson is meeting with a patient and I figured since you're on the same floor, I'd come see you."

"That's nice," House said, returning to his paperwork.

"Sam? What're you doing here?" House saw Cuddy walk through the door.

"Hey, Lisa!" Sam said with a smile. "I just came to see James."

"Oh, that's nice," Cuddy answered. "He's meeting with a patient?"

Sam nodded. "Yup," she said. "And House wasn't doing anything, so I figured I'd come here."

"Ah," Cuddy said. "Well, why don't we go to my office?"

"That sounds good to me," Sam responded. "Nice talking with you, Greg."

House nodded quietly and watched them walk out of the room.

XXX

"Hey, Chase," Thirteen said when she answered the door. She was still clad in her pajamas, and looked quite tired. "What are you doing here?"

"House sent me to check up on you," he told her. "Can I come in?"

Thirteen stepped aside and let Chase through, shutting the door behind him. "He sent you to check up on me?"

"Yup," Chase said. "Why did you stay home, anyway?"

"Allison told me to," Thirteen said. She curled up on the couch with a steaming cup of tea and sipped it slowly.

"Where is she, anyway?"

"She ducked into work for a little," Thirteen said. "What, you didn't see her?"

"I didn't pass by the ER today," Chase said. "Did she enjoy the movie?"

"Oh, yeah," Thirteen laughed. "She wanted to watch it a third time, but it was two AM by the time the movie was over, so that wasn't going to happen."

Chase laughed. "That sounds like her," he said. "Thanks for locking up, by the way. I was dead last night."

"Anytime," Thirteen responded. "Don't want you getting hurt because the door was unlocked."

"Oh, you're so kind," Chase said. "Why didn't you two wake me up, though?"

"Because you looked like you needed the sleep," Thirteen said. "So we just left you asleep."

"Thanks," Chase responded. "But you, on the other hand, you look like you need more sleep. Go back to bed, Rem."

"I slept for 12 hours," Thirteen told him. "I don't need anymore sleep at the moment. Thanks for caring, though."

"Sure," Chase said. He stood. "I'd better get back to the hospital."

"I'll be back tomorrow," Thirteen said. "I promise."

"Good," Chase said happily. "Because we have a new case and you need to be there."

Thirteen laughed and then smiled. "Oh, great," she said sarcastically.

Chase kissed her on the cheek. "Bye, Rem," he said. "I hope you feel better."

"Thanks, Chase," she said.

XXX

"Did you find out where Thirteen was?" House asked Chase when he walked back into the room.

"She's at home, sick," Chase said. "But she'll be back here tomorrow."

"Good," House said. "You guys are starting to get weaker already."

Chase ignored House's statement. "Tests came back inconclusive," he said. "I'm running them again, plus a tox screen."

"Faub?" House said.

Foreman stared at him. "Faub?" he questioned.

"I didn't feel like saying your names," House said. "Don't make me explain myself. Give me the answers."

"We found some clues at the home," Taub said. "We're running tests now to find a connection."

"Good. Go see if the answers are in. All of you."

XXX

**I only ended the chapter there because I felt it was getting a **_**little**_** long xDD. But anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I don't feel that it's one of the top ones, but I guess it's up to you. The next chapter has a little drama, because I wanted to deviate from the boring storyline that I've been following for the past 8 or 9 chapters, or however many chapters. But yes, I hope you like this, and be on the lookout for the next chapter :) I love you forever, thank you for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Did you enjoy the day off?" Cameron asked Thirteen when she came back to her house that night.

"Eh," Thirteen said. "It was all right. I slept most of the day. And Chase stopped by for a little bit."

"Chase?" Cameron asked. "Why?"

"House sent him to check up on me," Thirteen explained.

"Oh," Cameron said.

"Apparently they have a new case," Thirteen said. "And House wants me back there to help work on it."

"Ah," Cameron said. "Well, thanks for staying home today anyway."

Thirteen smiled. "Sure," she said. "I was going to object, but I was just too tired to argue."

"Good choice," Cameron told her. "I would've strapped you to the bed if I'd had to."

"Okay, Allison," Thirteen said. "How'd work go?"

"Busy and boring," Cameron recounted. "Today was car accident day, I bet. That's all I saw."

"Poor you," Thirteen said. "Dealing with people and their minor injuries."

Cameron laughed. "Don't mock me," she said. "And some of them were major. I don't know why people were crashing, though. Nothing major is going on."

"What do you mean?" Thirteen asked.

"It's late March," Cameron explained. "It didn't rain today, there's now snow. There was no reason for all the accidents I saw."

"Oh, that makes sense," Thirteen said, standing up. "Do you want a drink?"

"Uh, yeah," Cameron said. "A beer is good."

Thirteen took two bottles from the fridge. "Beer?" she said, handing her the beer bottle.

"I had a bad day," Cameron told her. "Leave me alone about it."

"I'm just not used to seeing you drink beer," Thirteen said.

Cameron took a swig from the bottle. "Well, wine isn't going to cut it tonight, Rem."

"Just don't drink yourself to death," Thirteen warned jokingly.

XXX

"Oh, Thirteen," House said. "You're back."

"Yup," Thirteen responded. "What'd I miss?"

"Besides the new case?" Chase asked.

"Yeah."

"You didn't miss anything," Foreman said.

"Chase and Foreman'll catch you up on the case," House said. "I've got some important business to attend to."

"Going to talk to Cuddy?" Chase asked without looking at his boss.

House looked at him. "Well, aren't you quite the sarcastic rebel?" he asked before departing the room.

He took the elevator to Cuddy's floor, pausing in the clinic to complete an hour of work before stopping by her office.

"I heard you were doing some clinic hours," she said when he walked in an hour later.

"I knew you were going to tell me to do some," House told her. "Figured I'd beat you to the punch this time."

"I guess it's good that you know what I'm going to tell you," Cuddy said. "What is it you need?"

"Nothing," House said to her.

"Don't you have a case?" Cuddy asked. "Why aren't you upstairs working on it with your team?"

"They're updating Thirteen right now," House explained. "And then they're going to run more tests. There's no need for me right now, so I don't need to be with my team."

"You're still the laziest doctor I know," Cuddy laughed.

"You love it."

"Only if you say so," Cuddy said. "What're we doing tonight?"

"I don't know," House responded. "Did you want to do something?"

"Not especially," Cuddy said. "I'll just come over to your apartment, though. And I'm cooking dinner."

"You always cook dinner," House said. "Not that I'm complaining. It's less work that I have to do."

"Now you're the laziest person I know, too," Cuddy laughed.

"I'm not ashamed of it," House said. "Being lazy is the life, man."

"Sure it is, House."

He laughed. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is," Cuddy said with a smile. "You need to work harder."

"No, I don't," House said. "My team can get stuff done for me."

Cuddy laughed. "You're an idiot," she said.

"How so?"

"You just are," Cuddy responded. "I can't explain it."

"You need to work on that," House said. "I want an explanation by the time you come over tonight."

XXX

"Hello?" Cameron yawned when she answered the phone. Looking at the clock, she noticed that it was three in the morning.

"Allison?" Thirteen said on the other end. "Can you pick up Chase and come over here?"

"What's wrong?" Cameron asked, instantly alert. She got up and pulled on some pants and a shirt.

"I'll let you know when you get here," Thirteen said. "I'm going to leave the door unlocked. Come to the bedroom."

"Okay," Cameron said. "I'll be there soon, Rem." She hung up the phone, grabbed her keys, and ran out of the house.

Cameron arrived at Chase's apartment ten minutes later. She hurriedly ran up the stairs and buzzed his apartment.

"What the hell?" said Chase's voice. "It's three AM!"

"Chase, it's Allison," Cameron announced hurriedly. "I need you to get dressed and come with me."

"Why?" he asked.

"Something's wrong with Rem," she explained. "I'll be waiting in the car."

Cameron waited five minutes for Chase. She sat in her car, the worry filling up her thoughts. She unlocked the door when she spied Chase, and he climbed in. They took off towards Thirteen's apartment, somewhat speeding down the highway.

"Do you know what's wrong?" he asked her, eyes facing out the windshield.

Cameron looked at Chase. She could tell that he'd haphazardly thrown on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, not bothering to fix his messy hair. "I have absolutely no idea," she said. "She just told me to get you and come over."

"Oh," Chase said. He looked at her then. "Are you crying, Allison?"

"I'm just worried," she said. "I've never had to deal with this before. Just her tiredness."  
He rubbed her arm. "Allison," he said, soothing her. "It's all going to be perfectly fine. She'll be fine. And how do you know she's even sick?"

"I can hear it in her voice," Cameron said. "She sounded horrible."

Chase nodded. "Oh," he said.

The two arrived at Thirteen's apartment, and Cameron raced inside, Chase closed on her heels. She opened the door and rushed inside, heading towards Thirteen's room. They found her, shivering, pale, sweating, and having trouble breathing. Her eyes were pressed together as if she was feeling an intense amount of pain. Cameron crouched next to her.

"Rem," she said. "What's wrong?"

"I feel horrible," Thirteen responded. "My head hurts, my body hurts, I feel like I've been shot by a machine gun. And I can barely see."

"What do you mean, you can barely see?" Chase asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"My vision is so blurred," Thirteen explained. "And I can't focus my eyes so that they're not. I hate this."

"You need a hospital," Cameron said. "We're taking you to the hospital."

"No," Thirteen whined. "I'm not going to the hospital."

"Remy, she's right," Chase said. "We're taking you to the hospital. You look absolutely horrible, and there's nothing that we can do about that here."

Thirteen sighed. "I don't want to go to the hospital," she said.

"If you didn't want to go, you wouldn't have called us," Cameron said. She placed some clothes on the bed. "We'll take you, you don't have to go in an ambulance."

"I don't have any say in this, do I?" Thirteen asked. When Chase and Cameron shook their heads, she sighed again and slowly sat up, taking a minute to steady herself before reaching for her clothes. "Help," she said when she couldn't find them. Cameron came over and helped her pull on her shirt, and then the pair of pants that accompanied it. Thirteen stood and slipped on the shoes that she knew rested right under her feet.

"Chase, you drive," Cameron said. She threw him the keys to the car and led Thirteen out of the apartment. Chase locked the door behind them and then ran ahead, unlocking the back door so that Cameron and Thirteen could slip in.

XXX

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Cameron asked from beside Thirteen's bed when the doctor came in. Chase was asleep on the couch.

"Well, you were extremely dehydrated," the doctor told them. "There was a migraine, and the blurred vision was a side effect from the drug that you took during your clinical trial."

Thirteen looked puzzled. "I stopped taking that drug two years ago," she said.

"Unfortunately, it's been shown that the side effects of the drug can last for some time," the doctor explained.

Thirteen sighed. "And my body hurting?" she asked.

"Also a side effect," the doctor said.

"Damn Foreman," Thirteen whispered.

"Now, we're going to keep you overnight to monitor your progress," the doctor continued. "But you're responding extremely well, so you should be able to go home tomorrow. And don't try to work."

"Trust me, I won't," Thirteen said with a chuckle. "Thank you."

The doctor left the room, and Cameron turned to her. "Dehydrated?" she said. "Aren't you drinking enough?"

"More than enough," Thirteen said. "Maybe it's because of the disease or something."

Cameron smiled and gave her a hug. "I'm just glad that you're okay," she said. "I was so scared."

"Why?" Thirteen asked. "This has happened before."

"Not since I've been in your life," Cameron said. "It's new for me. And you sounded terrible on the phone."

"I'm sorry I scared you," Thirteen said. "I love you."

Cameron gave her another hug.

XXX

"Where're Thirteen and Chase?" House asked when he walked into the room.

"No idea," Taub said. "Why don't you call them or something?"

House looked at Taub. "Does that look like something that I'd do?" he asked. "Foreman, call Chase."

Foreman sighed before dialing Chase's number. He put the phone on speaker for all of them to hear.

"Hello?" Chase answered.

"House wants to know where you are," Taub said to him.

"I'm downstairs," Chase said. "I'm not coming in today."

House heard beeping in the background. "Chase, where are you?" he asked.

"I told you, I'm downstairs," Chase said. He sounded annoyed. "I'm not coming in today. Neither is Thirteen."

"Why are you playing hooky in the hospital?" House asked. "You're an idiot, I can find you in a second."

"Okay, first, House, you've done it before," Chase said angrily. "And secondly, I'm not playing hooky. I'm just not coming in today, and neither is Thirteen." He hung up the phone.

"Taub, go find where Chase and Thirteen are," House ordered. "Foreman, stay here."

Taub left the room and walked to the elevators, taking them to the first floor. He knocked on Cuddy's door. "Come in," he heard Cuddy say.

Taub opened the door and stepped inside, keeping his distance. He always felt uncomfortable around his boss's boss. "What do you need, Dr. Taub?" Cuddy asked him.

"House wants to know where Chase and Thirteen are," Taub informed her. "He sent me to find out for him."

Cuddy hesitated. "I don't know if I should say," she told him. "He might disturb them."

"It doesn't really matter to me," Taub said. "Foreman and I can take care of the case ourselves. I'm just doing this because House told me to."

Cuddy sighed. "Dr. Hadley's in a patient room on the second floor. She came in this morning," she told him. "Tell House if you must, but make sure he doesn't disturb her."

Taub's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked. "Why?"

"She wasn't feeling too hot this morning," Cuddy said. "That's all I'm going to divulge right now."

Taub sighed. "Thanks," he said.

XXX

"Who was on the phone?" Thirteen asked Chase when he hung up, slightly red in the face.

"House," Chase said. "Don't be surprised if there's a whole troupe of people flooding the room in a couple minutes to either see how you're doing or get help on the case."

Thirteen sighed. "Why?" she asked. "They can do that when I get back to work."

Cameron looked at her. "Because he's House," she said. "If you want, I can take over for you tomorrow while you stay home and rest."

"I'd rather not have you do that," Thirteen said.

Cameron laughed. "I don't mind, though."

"But I do," Thirteen said. "You do too much already with your own job. Don't worry about it, House's worked with three people before."

"I know," Cameron said with a smile. "I was there."

"Exactly! So you know!"

Chase sat back down on the couch and put his feet up, watching the interaction between Thirteen and Cameron. He was close to falling back to sleep when he heard the door open. His eyes flew open, and he saw House, Foreman, and Taub standing in the doorway. "What, House?" he asked.

"Just wondering where you were," House said. "Looks like I've found you."

Thirteen sighed heavily. "What do you want, House?" she asked. "I'm trying to recuperate, here."

"I need you guys," House said. "This case isn't going to solve itself, you know."

"Didn't I say that we took the day off?" Chase asked, obviously upset. "She doesn't need this right now, can you just leave?"

"Why would we leave when we have a case to solve?" House asked. "Just calm down, it'll only take a few seconds."

"House," Thirteen said firmly. "Get out of here. I'm not supposed to be working. Chase took the day off. You're not taking Allison. So if you could just leave, that would be fine. Bye."

Foreman and Taub started to walk out of the room, but House stopped them. "Stay," he said to them. "I need your help."

"House, maybe tomorrow," Chase said. "Please leave."

House stood, and threw a look at both Chase and Thirteen before leaving the room without any form of complaint.

Chase looked at Thirteen. "I'm sorry," he said. "I told them not to come."

"It's perfectly fine," Thirteen said. "They left, and I feel okay. Don't worry about it."

Cameron looked at him. "You guys have a case and House is trying to get you to work on it?" she asked.

"Yup," Chase said. "No respect for privacy."

"Chase," Cameron said. "You've worked for the man for how long? You know what he's like. He's not going to stop badgering you about a case just because you're sick at home or even in the hospital. In fact, the hospital's better for him because he can just walk right down and ask you what's wrong with the other patient."

Chase sighed. "Such an ass," he said.

XXX

"How're you doing there, Thirteen?" Wilson asked as he walked into her room after work that day. He saw Cameron and Chase leaning against each other on the couch, asleep.

Thirteen smiled. "Hey, Wilson," she said. "Eh, I've been better. Thanks for coming, though. I was getting pretty bored."

"I would think so," Wilson said. "How long have they been out?"

"About an hour," Thirteen told him. "I can't blame them, though. Allison's been awake since three this morning, and Chase hasn't slept more than an hour at a time since this whole thing happened."

Wilson sat down and looked at them. "You three really are close, aren't you?" he asked. Thirteen nodded.

Wilson leaned back in the chair. "So, what exactly is wrong with you, Remy?" he asked her.

Thirteen sighed. "My asthma and Huntington's," she said. "And the drug that Foreman had me on during the clinical trial."

"You finished that trial a couple of years ago, didn't you?" Wilson asked, wonder in his eyes.

"Yeah," Thirteen said. "Apparently the side effects take some time to go away."

"This is a lot more than some time," Wilson said.

"Do you think that there's something worse going on?" Thirteen asked. Her eyes were wide and she sounded genuinely frightened.

"I don't know," Wilson said, thinking. "Can I schedule you for an MRI tomorrow before you go home?"

Thirteen had started crying silently. "Um, yeah," she said. "Whatever you think you have to do to make me better."

Wilson rubbed her arm gently. "Remy, it'll be alright," he said. "I'm sure that it's nothing. And if it is something, you'll have me and Allison and Chase. You'll be perfectly fine."

Thirteen was sniffling. "Thank you, Wilson," she said. "It means a lot."

"You'll be all right," Wilson said reassuringly. He stood up. "I have to go now. I'm going to try to schedule you for 8:30 tomorrow morning, okay?"

"I'll be here," Thirteen joked half-heartedly. "Bye, Wilson."

"Bye, Remy," Wilson said. He left the room.

Thirteen sat alone with her thoughts for two hours before Chase and Cameron woke up.

"Rem, what's wrong?" Cameron asked when she saw the red rings around Thirteen's eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Wilson thinks something else might be wrong," Thirteen said. "He scheduled me for an MRI tomorrow morning."

"What does he think is wrong?" Chas asked. He sat on the bed next to her.

"I don't know exactly," Thirteen said. "But I'm scared."

XXX

"You do know that Wilson scheduled Dr. Hadley for an MRI tomorrow morning, right?" Cuddy asked House that night.

House looked at her. "Why?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Cuddy said. "I saw it on one of the papers I was signing earlier."

"Is she going to be able to work tomorrow?" House asked.

Cuddy looked at him incredulously. "What the hell, House?" she asked. "She's sick and you want to know if she's going to be able to work tomorrow? I don't even like that you tried to get her to work today."

"Cuddy, I was _joking_," House said. "Just calm down."

"Don't joke about that, House," Cuddy said.

He nodded. "What do you want to do now?" he asked. "I'm bored."

"It's midnight," Cuddy said. "Let's just sleep."

"But I'm not tired," House said.

"House, I have to be up in five hours," Cuddy said. "I need sleep. So do you. Get some sleep."

House sighed. "Fine," he said.

"Good night, House." Cuddy kissed him lightly.

"We're taking the day off soon," House said.

"Whatever you say, House."

He kissed her cheek.

XXX

"Allison, you should go home," Thirteen said. "You look like hell. Go get some sleep."

"How am I supposed to sleep at home when I'm worried about you?" Cameron asked her. "I'll be fine."

"Can you at least sleep here, then?" Thirteen asked. "If you don't want to leave, you should still sleep some."

Cameron sighed. "I guess," she said. She got up and moved to the couch.

"Where's Chase?" Thirteen asked.

"He went to get a little sleep while you were out cold," Cameron said. "But he'll be back before your MRI. He promises."

"Oh," Thirteen said. "Good. Why can't you follow his example?"

"Because I love you too much," Cameron said to her.

"So does Chase," Thirteen said. "As long as you come back, I'm find with you going home. I am glad you're here, though."

"You're welcome," Cameron yawned. "Night, Rem."

"Good night, Allison."

Not long after Cameron fell asleep, Chase returned, dressed in fresh clothes and showered. He sat in the chair by the bed.

"You comfortable?" he asked.

"Eh," Thirteen said. "It's good for a hospital bed, bad for any other type of bed."

"Ah," Chase laughed. "Cameron's asleep?"

"Yeah," Thirteen said. "She couldn't bring herself to go home."

"That's Allison for you," Chase said. "She's always been like that."

"Yes, sir," Thirteen said. "Did you get any sleep at home?"

"Eh, two or three hours," Chase told her. "It'll sustain me."

"Chase, go to sleep."

"No, Rem."

"Chase," Thirteen said. "I can't have you passing out during the MRI."

He laughed. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Thirteen nodded. "Night, Chase."

"Night, Rem." Chase lifted Cameron's legs up, placing them on his lap. He then quickly fell asleep.

XXX

House woke up and looked at the clock, knowing it was early in the morning. He saw that it was four AM. Wondering what woke him up, he began to hear crying. He slowly sat up and got out of the bed, letting Cuddy continue to sleep.

He walked out of Cuddy's room and into Rachel's, standing on the edge of the bed. He went to her and picked her up. "Why'd you wake me up, Little Cuddy?" he asked her.

"Dream," she said. She buried her face into House's shoulder and hugged him.

"You had a bad dream?" House asked. Rachel nodded against him.

"Bad dream," she said. "Monsters."

House sat down and sat her on his lap. "There were monsters in your dream?" he asked. His being caring towards her was unsettling.

Rachel nodded. "Yes," she said. "Scary monsters."

"Well, they're gone now," House said. "You can go back to sleep."

Rachel shook her head. "In the closet," she said, pointing to the door.

"They're in the closet?" House asked her. When she nodded, House stood and placed her in the chair. "I'll scare them away."

Rachel clapped when House walked to the closet. He opened the door and said, "Boo!" to the blackness.

"Yay!" Rachel said happily. "Thankie, House!"

House picked her up and placed her back in the bed. "You're welcome, Little Cuddy," he said. "Now, go back to sleep."

"Okay," Rachel said. She turned around, and House left the room.

"Where'd you go?" Cuddy asked when he returned. She stretched and turned to face him.

"Rachel's crying woke me up," House told her as he got back into the bed. "I went to go check on her."

"Why was she crying?" Cuddy asked. She was concerned.

"Bad dream," House said. "I had to scare the monsters from her closet before she would go back to sleep."

Cuddy laughed. "It's funny," she said.

"What's funny?"

"How much you care about her," Cuddy said. "It's funny."

"How is that funny?" House asked her.

"Because," Cuddy said. "You seem like this rude guy who wouldn't give a crap about kids, but then you get around Rachel and all of a sudden you're a doting father-figure."

"Am I now?" House asked. "Tell anyone and I'll kill you."

"You are," Cuddy told him. "You act differently around her than you do around any other kid. I don't know why you say that you're not good with her."

"I'm not good around most kids," House said. "I have no idea why I'm so good with Rachel. It's new for me."

"You're good with her because you don't want to lose me," Cuddy said. "That's why. And I love that. It's nice to see you care about someone so much, even if it is just Rachel and me."

"Okay," House said. "But only as long as all of this information stays between us. I don't want my reputation tarnished."

"Your reputation of asshood?" Cuddy asked. "Yeah, you definitely don't want that to be screwed up."

"Nope," House said. "I have to be an ass. People fear me that way."

"Okay, House," Cuddy said. "Whatever you say."

XXX

Thirteen was dreaming peacefully when she heard a voice in the distance. "Rem," the voice said. "Remy, wake up. Rem." She felt herself gently rocking and slowly opened her eyes.

"Hmm?" she hummed. Smiling slightly, she said, "Hi, Ally."

"Hey, Rem," Cameron said. She smiled sadly. "It's almost time for your MRI, figured I'd wake you."

Thirteen frowned. "Don't be upset, Allison," she said. "Even if something is wrong, be happy because we'll know what it is."

"I guess," Cameron said.

"Come here," Thirteen said, motioning with her finger. When Cameron came closer, Thirteen reached and gave her a hug. She felt wetness staining her gown. "Don't cry, Allison. I'm going to be fine. I'm a fighter." Cameron nodded against her.

Thirteen heard the door open, and looked to find Chase and Wilson standing there in silence. "Hey, guys," she said with a smile. Cameron stood up and wiped her eyes, and Thirteen motioned them to her.

"Are you ready?" Wilson asked her. Chase walked over to Cameron and grabbed her into a tight hug.

Thirteen sighed. "Yeah," she said.

Wilson moved to the bed and hit the knobs, making it mobile. "Are you two coming?" he asked Chase and Cameron.

"Yeah," Chase said. He moved to the bed. "Let me help you with that."

They rolled Thirteen down to radiology and the MRI machine. Lifting her slowly, they placed her on the bed of the giant machine and then walked into the processing room. "Stay still for me, Remy," Wilson said politely. She stopped fidgeting.

"Have any of these problems been persisting?" Wilson asked her.

"Um," Thirteen said. "The migraines. And the vision. But that only lasts for a minute or two usually."

"All right, thanks," Wilson said.

Cameron and Chase were staring at the monitor, hoping not to see anything. However, their hopes were dashed. Cameron broke into tears.

XXX

"Can we ride to work together?" House asked Cuddy as she was preparing for work.

"Why?" she asked. "Is your car not working or something?"

"I don't feel like driving to work," House said bluntly. "You should like this—I'll be getting to work on time for once."

"I guess you've got a point," Cuddy said after a thought. "Are you driving then?"

"It doesn't matter to me," House told her. He caught the keys that had been thrown to him and started to walk out to the car.

Cuddy said her goodbyes to Rachel and Marina and then she, too, exited the house. "House," she said. "We're not taking any scenic routes or back roads!"

"Damn it!" House said jokingly. "You caught on to my plan. You evil little woman!"

"That's my name," Cuddy said. "Don't wear it out. And stick to the main roads."

"But," House objected. Cuddy cut him off with a simple look.

"Can we take the back roads on the way home?" he asked, getting on the road.

"I'll think about it," Cuddy said. "Can we just focus on getting to work right now?"

"Do you know that you've been taken over by Buzz Killington?" House asked. "This ride should be fun. Make it fun, Cuddy."

"How the hell do I make a car ride to work at 8:30 in the morning fun?" she asked. "I'm not a morning person, you know."

"I don't know," House said. "Just do it. It can't be that difficult or anything. You could always sing."

"I'm not going to sing for you, House," Cuddy laughed.

"Why not?" he asked. "I sang for you. And you loved it."

"That doesn't mean anything," Cuddy said.

House feigned shock. "I'm hurt, Cuddy!"

"You'll just have to be hurt, then," Cuddy said. She laughed again.

XXX

Thirteen had been waiting in her room for an hour alone before Wilson came in, followed by Chase and Cameron. "Something's wrong, huh?" she asked after seeing Cameron's red-stained face and teary eyes.

Wilson came over to her. "I don't know how to say this," he said.

Cameron started to sob, and hugged Chase. He hugged her to him. "Just say it, Wilson," Thirteen said.

He sighed. "You have a brain tumor, Remy."

XXX

Dear my readers xD I hope you liked this chapter. I don't know how long it'll be till the next one is up, but it'll most likely be soon. But you should know that even though NaNo is drawing to a close, I'm still going to continue to update this story. It's one of the best I've ever written, from all of your kind reviews. I didn't think it was that great, but you guys and your amazing (and helpful) reviews are helping me out so much. Thank you for reading 3


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_Wilson came over to her. "I don't know how to say this," he said. _

_ Cameron started to sob, and hugged Chase. He hugged her to him. "Just say it, Wilson," Thirteen said._

_ He sighed. "You have a brain tumor, Remy."_

XXX

Thirteen stared at Wilson for several seconds, letting the words sink in. "A brain tumor?" she said quietly. "Is this anything like the tumor that I got from the meds?"

"I don't know," Wilson said to her. "We need to see if the tumor is cancerous or not first."

"Do you know what caused it?" she asked. She felt numb, as if all of this wasn't happening.

"I don't," Wilson said. "I'm inclined to think that it's caused by your medicine, but I'm not entirely sure yet."

Thirteen sighed. "When's the biopsy?" she asked quietly.

"I'm going to schedule it for as soon as I possibly can," Wilson said. "I'm really sorry to have to tell you this, Remy."

"Thank you, Wilson," Thirteen said quietly. When he left the room, she started to cry. "I'm going to _kill_ Foreman!" she proclaimed.

"Remy," Cameron said, running to her. "Remy, I'm so sorry." She hugged Thirteen, who'd started to cry profusely. Chase stood by the door, keeping his distance.

"I just don't know what to do," Thirteen said. "I don't need this right now."

"It'll be okay, Remy," Cameron said. "You'll be okay. You have us. We're going to be here every step of the way, no matter what."

Thirteen nodded, tears staining her face. "Can you do me a favor?" she asked.

"Anything," Cameron said.

"I need you two to call Foreman and then leave the room," Thirteen requested.

Cameron looked at Thirteen suspiciously. "Why?" she asked. "What're you going to do?"

"Oh, I'm just going to talk to him," Thirteen said innocently. "Can you please just call him for me?"

Cameron walked to the door as Chase dialed the phone number. "I hope you know what you're doing," she said.

After Chase hung up the phone, he looked at Thirteen. "He'll be here in a few minutes," he said. "Come on, Allison. Let's get some food from the cafeteria."

Cameron looked back at Thirteen one last time before heading off to the cafeteria with Chase. Thirteen sat for a time to collect herself before Foreman came.

She heard the door open, and looked up to find Foreman. "You wanted to talk to me?" he said, keeping his distance.

"Yeah," Thirteen said. "Come here."

"I'd rather not," Foreman said, obviously frightened. "Just say what you have to say."

"Come here, Foreman," Thirteen repeated.

Foreman slowly took a step forward. "What do you need, Thirteen?" he asked again.

"Stand next to me, Foreman," Thirteen said menacingly.

Foreman sighed and walked to the side of Thirteen's bed. "What now?" he asked.

Thirteen brought her arm back and punched Foreman square in the face. He fell to the floor, clutching his face. "What the hell was that?" he exclaimed.

"I have a brain tumor because of you, asshole!" Thirteen yelled. "Now, I don't know if I'm going to be okay, and it's _all_ because of you!"

"How the hell is that because of me?" Foreman asked. "I didn't do a damned thing to you!"

"You gave me the damn meds instead of keeping me on a placebo!" Thirteen said. "And now I have a tumor. I thought I'd let you know what you did to me. Now, get out."

"But Thirteen," Foreman objected.

"Get. Out," Thirteen repeated. She pointed to the door, and Foreman left, still clutching his nose. She then began to cry again.

XXX

"Wow, what happened to you?" House asked when Foreman walked back into the room.

"Nothing," Foreman said. "Can we get back to the case, please?"

"Nope," House said. "Tell us what happened."

"House, shut up about it," Foreman said angrily. "Where are we on the case?"

"Patient is responding well to steroids," Taub said. "Should be able to go home soon."

"Good," Foreman said. "I'm going home."

"Why?" House asked. "We have a lot to talk about!"

"Goodbye, House," Foreman said, walking out of the room.

House, too, walked out of the room, and went to Wilson's office.

"Thirteen has a brain tumor," Wilson said as soon as House walked into the room.

"What?" House asked.

"She has a brain tumor," Wilson repeated. "Most likely because of the drugs that Foreman had her on."

"So _that's _what happened to Foreman," House realized. "It makes sense now!"

"What do you mean?" Wilson asked.

"Thirteen punched Foreman in the face," House said. "I just didn't know it was her."

"Oh," Wilson said. "So, why are you here?"

"Finished the case," House said. "Nothing to do."

"You need a new reason for coming here," Wilson said. "That's your reason almost every time now."

"And?" House said. "I don't have to come here, you know."

"No one said you did," Wilson said. "Thirteen's probably not going to be back at work for a while."

"Why?" House asked.

Wilson stared at him. "House," he said. "She has a tumor. And even if it's not cancerous, I'm still going to advise her to take several weeks off in order to recuperate."

"But I need her," House said.

"What the hell?" Wilson asked. "Your doctor has a potentially cancerous and lethal brain tumor, and all you can think about is that you're going to need her for your next case?"

"Don't berate me, Wilson," House said.

"Well, use Cameron then," Wilson said. "But Thirteen needs some time off for now."

"When's the biopsy?" House asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Wilson told him. "You should be there."

"I will be," House said.

XXX

"We brought you some food, Rem," Cameron said. "Wait, what happened to your hand?"

"I punched Foreman," Thirteen said quietly. She reached for the food with the hand that wasn't hurt.

"What?" Chase and Cameron asked at the same time.

"I punched Foreman," Thirteen repeated, making her voice louder. "I punched Foreman in the face." She looked at her hand, bloodied from Foreman's nose and possibly broken.

Cameron looked at her in shock. "Well, why'd you go and do that?" she asked. "You should be resting, not getting all worked up. And you don't even know if the drugs actually did cause this in the first place."

"I couldn't help it," Thirteen said. "Allison, things like that just happen."

"That's what I'm saying," Chase said quietly.

Cameron closed her eyes and sighed. "Give me your hand, Rem," she said. "I need to wrap it up before you strain it."

"Are you mad at me?" Thirteen asked as she gave Cameron her hand. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Cameron said.

"Allison," Thirteen said. "I need you right now. I'm sorry that I punched Foreman in the face, but I'm not going to apologize to him for that. He deserved every bit of that because he didn't tell me that he switched the drug, and now I'm sick."

"I never said that he didn't deserve it," Cameron said. "What I'm saying is that you didn't have to do it, especially when the meds might not have been what caused the tumor. You could've taken the high road, been the bigger person!"

"It's kind of hard to do when your _ex may have given you a brain tumor_!" Thirteen screamed. "If you were in this situation, you would want to do the same exact damn thing! So don't yell at me because I have the damn guts to do something that you wouldn't do!"

"Shut up!" Cameron shouted back. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! I'm leaving, I'll be back tomorrow." She snatched her things up in her arms and left the room.

Chase walked over to Thirteen, who had burst into tears again. "Shh," he soothed. "It'll be okay, Rem."

"I don't even know if that's true anymore," Thirteen said through sobs. "So don't say that anymore, because you don't know, and I don't know."

"I'm not talking about your tumor," Chase said. "I'm talking about you and Allison. It'll be okay. She just needs to let this all sink in. She needs to think on it. But she'll come back. She always does."

"But how do you know that?" Thirteen asked.

"Because I've known her since we both started working for House," Chase said. "She always gets like this, but it all works out in the end."

Thirteen sighed. "I hope you're right," she said.

"And just to let you know, I'm with you," Chase said.

"What do you mean?"

"I agree with the whole punching Foreman thing," he said. "And not just because he's an ass. Because he deserves every bit of what he got from you."

Thirteen smiled a little. "Thanks, Chase," she said.

XXX

"Did you know that Wilson and Sam broke up?" Cuddy asked House.

"Did they really?" he replied. "Wilson didn't tell me that."

"It just happened last night," Cuddy said. "Apparently they were fighting all the time, and Sam just up and left."

"That's what she did before," House said. He sat on Cuddy's couch. "I guess you've got no one to talk to while Wilson and I are out now."

"I'll find someone," Cuddy laughed.

"For tomorrow?" House asked. "Because Wilson's most likely going to want to go out then."

"I'll spend the night with Rachel," Cuddy said. "I've got people."

"If by people, you mean person, then okay."

"Shut up, House!" Cuddy exclaimed with a laugh.

"What?" House asked. "I'm just saying."

"I can always make you stay home and invite Wilson over here," Cuddy said. "I won't hesitate to do it."

"Have Wilson over, then," House said. "It's fine by me."

Cuddy laughed. "Okay," she said. "I'm going to do it then." She edged toward the phone.

"No one's stopping you," House said.

Cuddy picked up the phone and dialed Wilson's number. "Last chance, House," she said.

"Go ahead," House said.

Cuddy pressed the green button on the phone and put it up to her ear. "Oh, hi, Wilson!" she said, making a face at House. "Do you want to come over?"

"Um, sure," House heard Wilson say. "When do you want me to come?"

"Now is good," Cuddy answered. "See you soon, Wilson." She hung up the phone and placed it on the table.

"Do you think you're tough?" House asked. "Because you're not."

"Sure I'm not," Cuddy said.

XXX

"Do you think she'll be back tonight?" Thirteen asked Chase. "I know she said that she'll be back tomorrow, but…."

"She might be," Chase said. "But don't worry about it right now, Rem. You should get some sleep."

"I can't sleep," Thirteen said. "I'm too worried about Allison."

"Why?" Chase asked. "She can take care of herself."

"I don't know," Thirteen mumbled.

"Don't worry," Chase repeated. "All this stress isn't going to help you much, Rem. Just go to sleep, you haven't slept since the MRI."

Thirteen sighed. "Will you go check on her for me?" she asked.

Chase nodded. "Of course," he said. "Now, please go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Thanks, Robert," Thirteen yawned. "Night."

"Goodnight, Rem," Chase said.

Once Thirteen went to sleep, Chase quietly left the room. He got in his car and drove the short trip to Cameron's apartment. He got out and walked into the apartment complex, knocking on Cameron's door.

"Oh, hey, Chase," she said when she answered the door. "What's up?"

"Uh, can we talk?" he asked her.

"Um, yeah," Cameron said, somewhat taken aback. "Come on in."

Chase stepped past her and walked into her home, taking a seat on the couch. "Rem sent me," he informed her.

"Oh, did she now?" Cameron asked. She poured a glass of water and sat in a chair.

"She's worried about you," Chase said. "And she wants you to come back to the hospital."

"Why is she worried about me?" Cameron asked. "She should be worried about herself."

"I think she's scared that she hurt you," Chase told her.

"She didn't, though," Cameron said. "I think that I hurt her."

"So go tell her that," Chase said. "She really wants to see you, Allison."

Cameron sighed. "I'm scared, Chase," she admitted. "I don't want to go into her room and end up hurting her again."

"And you won't," Chase pushed. "Just go and _talk_ to her!"

"Will she listen to me?" Cameron asked.

"Allison," Chase said. "She loves you. She'll listen to every word you have to say, even though she'll pretend to ignore it."

"You're sure that she'll listen to me?" Cameron asked nervously.

"Do you really have to ask?"

XXX

"Hey, Wilson," Cuddy said when she answered the door. "How're you doing?"

"I've been better," Wilson said. "Can I come in?"

"Wouldn't have invited you over if you couldn't," Cuddy laughed. She opened the door wider and let Wilson walk in.

He stopped in his tracks when he peered into the living room. "House gets along with Rachel?" he asked Cuddy.

House perked his head up. "Wilson," he said. "If you tell _anyone_, I will shoot you. And that's definitely a promise."

Wilson laughed. "Sure you will, House," he said. He sat down on the couch next to House, who was playing with Rachel.

"Not lying," House said. Rachel tapped his leg, and he picked up the toy she was handing to him. "You want me to play with this toy now?"

Rachel giggled, and House started to play with the toy. "They get along extremely well," Cuddy said. "It's sort of scary."

"Yeah, I can see that," Wilson said. "What prompted all of this?"

"I think he's finally gotten to the point where he's comfortable with her," Cuddy said. "And by getting closer to Rachel, he's getting closer to me."

"Why couldn't he be like this when he babysat Rachel the first time?" Wilson asked with a laugh. "That was a disaster."

"Tell me about it," Cuddy said. She rolled her eyes. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Do you have any scotch?" Wilson requested. Cuddy nodded and went into the kitchen to pour him a glass. Wilson stared at House. "I never knew you were so good with kids."

House looked at him. "I'm really not," he said. "Rachel's just got a lot more competence than most kids her age. And she's independent. It's the perfect situation for me."

"You do realize that you just praised the child, right?" Wilson said.

"Sadly, yes," House replied. "But it's all true. So I can't take any of it back. Wilson, you need to get out of my head!"

"How am I in your head?" Wilson asked. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I'm being _nice," _House complained. "You're in my head!"

"Well, I like that you're being nice," Cuddy said as she returned to the room. She handed Wilson his drink. "It shows that you care a little bit."

"Oh, shut up!" House laughed. "I'll start being an ass to you again."

"And I'll leave you in a second," Cuddy retorted. "So, Wilson, how're you?"

"You asked me that before," Wilson said. "Do you have Alzheimer's?"

"Shut up, Wilson," Cuddy said. "I'm sorry about Sam."

"I knew it'd happened eventually," Wilson said. "It wasn't all that unexpected."

"You knew it was going to happen after I talked a little sense into you," House said. "Don't deny it. You were going to marry the chick. She hated me, you know."

"Oh, she didn't _hate_ you," Wilson said. "She just wasn't all that fond of you, that's all."

"She told me that she hated me," House said. "To my face, too."

"You two are gossiping like little girls," Cuddy said. "Just chill about it."

"I'm sorry that she won't be around anymore, Cuddy," Wilson said. "I know that you two were close."

"Ah, I'll live," Cuddy said. "I feel sorry for you."

"Why?" Wilson asked.

"You two only just got back together," Cuddy said. "It's sad."

"Cuddy is a love story sap," House said. "Don't mind her."

"Shut up, House," she responded.

XXX

Cameron and Chase opened the door to Thirteen's room. "Chase," Cameron said. "She's asleep."

"I know," Chase said. "Do you know what you're going to say to her?"

"Uh," Cameron thought. "Kind of."

"Then get in there and wake her up," Chase urged. "Tell her how you feel. It shouldn't be that bad."

"But it could be," Cameron said. "What if I say something and then we start fighting? Or even break up?"

"Allison," Chase said. "You're overreacting. There is no way in _hell_ that is going to happen. Just go for it, it can't hurt."

Cameron sighed. "Fine," she said. She slid open the door and walked over to Thirteen's bed, watching her intently for several minutes before gently shaking her awake. "Remy, wake up."

Thirteen opened her eyes slowly, allowing them time to focus. "Allison?" she said with a yawn. "Hey, Allison. Thanks for coming back." She offered her a smile.

"Chase said you wanted me to be here," Cameron said. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"It's okay," Thirteen said. "I'm just glad that you're here now." She patted the space next to her on the bed, and Cameron sat down.

"I feel bad," Cameron said. "I shouldn't have overreacted like I did. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"You didn't," Thirteen said. "That was something I needed to hear."

"I guess," Cameron said. "But I didn't have to say it like I did."

Thirteen gave her a hug. "Don't worry about it, Allison," she repeated. "I love you, and that's all that matters. I'm sorry I overreacted, I'm glad that you're back, thank you."

Tears started leaking from Cameron's eyes, and Thirteen wiped them away. "I love you, too, Rem," Cameron said.

"So," Thirteen said. "What do we do now?"

"What do you want to do?" Cameron asked her.

"Sleep."

Cameron smiled gently. "Then let's sleep," she said. She turned off the lights and returned to the bed. "Night, Rem."

Thirteen hugged her close. "Goodnight, Allison."

The two women quickly fell asleep, and Chase found them lying together an hour later. Smiling slightly, he quickly scrawled a note to them and then left the room, heading for home.

XXX

"Oh, well, I have to go now," Wilson said. He stood up. "Long day tomorrow."

"What time is the biopsy?" House asked him as they walked to the door.

"I scheduled it for 2:30," Wilson said. "Is that a good time for you?'

"It's not like I have anything better to do," House told him. "Just call me in case anything happens to change."

"I'll make sure to do that," Wilson said. "Thanks for having me, Cuddy."

"Anytime," Cuddy said. "Bye, Wilson."

"Bye, Cuddy," Wilson said, opening the door. "House." He walked out, closing the door securely behind himself.

"What biopsy is Wilson talking about?" Cuddy asked as they returned to the living room. "And why do you have to be there?"

"Thirteen's biopsy," House informed her. "I have to be there because she's a part of my team." He sat down on the couch.

"Why is Thirteen getting a biopsy?" Cuddy asked. "I haven't given permission for any biopsy on her in the past couple of days."

"She has a brain tumor," House said. "How don't you know this? I thought you knew about everything that goes on in your hospital."

"I don't know _everything_," Cuddy said. "Sometimes the associate dean signs off on cases if I'm not there. Like yesterday afternoon."

"Ah," House said. "But yes, she has a brain tumor."

"For how long?" Cuddy asked, somewhat concerned. "That's really not good at all."

"I know that's not good," House said. "Wilson thinks that she's already had it for a while, but it took some time for the symptoms to present themselves."

"Does she know what Wilson thinks, though?" Cuddy asked. "That seems like something that she should know."

"I don't know if she knows yet," House said. "I haven't had the chance to see her since Chase so _rudely_ threw me out."

"Which I commend him for," Cuddy said. "You went in there after being specifically told to stay out. That's all your fault that happened."

"Okay, Cuddy," House said. "I'm bored."

"Go play a video game or something," Cuddy said. "I've got paperwork that needs to be done. So, if you'll excuse me." She stood up and walked into the kitchen, placing her cup in the sink. She then grabbed her briefcase and made her way to the office in the back room of her home.

"I didn't bring any games," House said. "Come entertain me, Cuddy!"

"House," she said. "I have to have all these documents approved, signed, and turned in by tomorrow at ten. I can't cure you of your boredom right now. Go order a movie or something, I don't really care."

"Oh, really?" House asked excitedly. "I'm going to order the most expensive thing that there is to offer!" He grabbed the remote and turned on the television.

Cuddy sighed and continued on to the office.

XXX

Thirteen slept until noon the next day. When she woke up, she found Chase sleeping on the couch and Cameron reading a book studiously in the chair next to her. "Hey there," she said to Cameron sleepily.

"Hey, Rem," Cameron said with a smile. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good," Thirteen reported. "How about you?"

"I was surprisingly comfortable," Cameron said. "So, yeah, I slept well, too."

"Well, that's good," Thirteen said. "What're you reading there? It looks good."

"_The Good Guy_," Cameron told her. "It's a Dean Koontz book. You should read it, Rem, you'd love it."

"Maybe once I get out of here," Thirteen said. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Around 12:30," Cameron said. "Wilson has you scheduled for 2:30."

"Two more hours until my head is cut open," Thirteen said sarcastically. "Now, ain't that just wonderful?"

"Don't be like that, Rem," Cameron said. "Think of it as two hours until you find out exactly what's wrong and exactly how it can be fixed."

"I agree with Allison," Chase said, yawning and wiping sleep from his eyes. "You should actually be sort of excited for this."

"Excited for a biopsy?" Thirteen said. "I'm going to have to say no."

"Rem, what did I just say?" Cameron asked, putting her book down."

Thirteen sighed. "Yay," she said as if she were being forced.

"That's the spirit!" Cameron laughed.

Thirteen, Cameron, and Chase talked for an hour and a half, until Wilson walked in at two. "Hi, Wilson," Thirteen said. "Come to take me away?"

Wilson laughed. "I guess you could say that," he said. Then he directed his attention to Chase and Cameron. "Are you two going to come and observe?"

Cameron nodded. "Of course we are," she said.

"Well, let's go then," Wilson answered.

Thirteen sighed as Wilson and Chase rolled her out of the room. Cameron walked by her side, holding her hand. They arrived at the operating room after several minutes, where doctors were scrubbing in and preparing their instruments. Thirteen saw House in the corner of the room and Cuddy in observation. Chase and Cameron had bid Thirteen their goodbyes outside of the room and went to join their boss's boss in observation. Wilson carefully wheeled her into the room. The doctors placed her in the operating chair.

"So sorry about this, Dr. Hadley," one of the doctors said as he placed the mask over her face.

She smiled faintly, knowing that she would be unconscious in a matter of a few seconds. "Don't apologize to me," she said. "It could happen to anyo…."

The world went black.

XXX

"I didn't know what was happening until last night," Cuddy said as soon as Chase and Cameron walked in. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Cameron said as she hugged Cuddy. "She's going to be perfectly fine."

"I guess that's a good way to think," Cuddy said.

Chase sighed. "Hopefully this'll be the end of all the testing," he said. "She hasn't really slept in days."

"I'm positive that it will be," Cuddy said. "She's lucky to have you two with her."

"I don't know who she'd have if she didn't have us," Cameron said with a smile. "But I feel good about the fact that we're here."

"I agree," Cuddy said.

XXX

Thirteen felt as if she'd been asleep forever when she finally woke up after her surgery. Cameron was asleep next to her in the chair, holding her hand, and Chase was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. "What time is it, Chase?" she asked him.

"Oh, you're awake!" Chase said excitedly. He closed the magazine. "It's about one AM or so."

"How am I doing?" Thirteen asked.

"You're perfectly okay," Chase said with a smile. "The tumor was caused by the meds, but it wasn't cancerous, and they were able to cut it out. You're going to be perfectly okay!"

Thirteen was crying silently. "Thank you, Robert," she said. "Thank you _so_ much." She gave him a hug.

"For what?" Chase asked. "I didn't do anything."

"You were here," Thirteen said. "That's why."

"Ah," Chase said. "Well, you're welcome, then."

"Now," Thirteen said semi-seriously. "How long am I going to be home from work? 'Cause I can't take this whole 'being out of work for medical reasons' thing anymore. It's boring as hell."

"I would assume so," Chase laughed. "You'll only have to take off for two weeks, three at the most. And you'll be able to go home tomorrow afternoon. Technically, though, it's later this afternoon. So, yeah. You can go home later this afternoon."

Thirteen laughed wholeheartedly. "Thanks, Chase," she said. "I've had the information clearly explained to me now."

"Oh, don't mock me!" Chase said.

XXX

**So, are you guys glad that Thirteen's going to be all right? I couldn't just keep her sick. One, because then the story would be focused mainly on her, and not on relationships like House and Cuddy's. Two, because I love Thirteen. She's one of my favorite characters, it would be wrong to make her sick! So, yeah, that's what I did. And I hope that you liked this chapter, but I feel as if it could've been better. You can let me know what you think about it :) I love you forever, thank you SO much for reading this. And Jessie, if you're reading this, I love you, too. Because I know you're saying I love you right now. And you know you are too 3**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Guys, we don't have to stay in for this," Thirteen said. "Seriously, Allison's birthday should be spent with friends."

"You guys _are_ my friends," Cameron told her. "And I kind of want to stay home. Have a nice and intimate dinner."

"Are you sure, Allison?" Chase asked.

Cameron nodded. "Of course," she said.

Thirteen had been home for a week and a half, and had spent the majority of the last several days preparing for Cameron's birthday, which was that day. Chase came by and visited everyday, and Cameron had moved in to help Thirteen out so that she couldn't stress herself out by doing all of the work.

"Well, I'm going to make you an amazing dinner, then," Thirteen said. "I mean, it's not like I've got anything better to do with my life."

"Rem, you can go back to work in two days," Chase said. "Calm down, stop being melodramatic." Thirteen threw a pillow at him.

"I'm perfectly okay with that," Thirteen said. "Do you know how boring it is to be stuck at home all day with nothing to do?"

"Um, Rem?" Cameron said. "He was suspended from work for a week, remember? I think he would know how boring that is."

Thirteen thought for a moment. "I guess you've got a point," she said.

Chase laughed. "Exactly, Rem," he said.

"Leave me alone!" Thirteen said. Ally, what do you want to eat?"

"I don't know," Cameron said to her. "You think of something that I'll like."

"Chips and wine it is, then!" Chase joked. Cameron threw him a look. "What? That's most of your diet!"

"It is not!" Cameron refuted. She started loading her briefcase for the day ahead.

"The chips may not be, but the wine is," Thirteen laughed. "And you can't even deny it."

"Shut up, Rem," Cameron said. "I'm going to work now."

"I'm riding with you, Allison," Chase said. "I figure that since I'm already here, I'll just hitch a ride."

"Fine by me," Cameron agreed.

"Have fun at work not being bored like I am!" Thirteen said, faking joy. "Make sure you have some fun for me!"

"We will," Chase said.

"That's a promise!" Cameron threw in. She and Chase walked out the door, leaving Thirteen alone.

XXX

"Oh, Chase, we have a case," House said when Chase walked in. "It's interesting."

"House, what are you trying to bribe me to do?" Chase asked immediately. "You're never interested in cases."

"He's trying to get you to go to the patient's house," Foreman said. "Just say no and get on with your life."

"Why won't anyone else go to the house?" Chase asked. "Is there something that I should be afraid of or something?"

"Oh, no," House said. "There's just… a big surprise waiting for you when you get there. I'm sure that you'll absolutely _love _it. Take Foreman with you."

Foreman looked at House. "I am not going to that house," he said. "There's no way."

"You'll do what I say," House said. "I can still fire you, remember. Don't annoy me. You're going to be the first one to go."

Foreman sighed and stood up, putting his coat on. "If I don't come back because of this," he mumbled.

"Stop complaining and do it," House ordered. "Taub, go talk to the patient, run some tests."

Taub left the room and walked in the opposite direction of his colleagues, who were headed towards the elevators and the house that no one wanted to go to. After watching them walk away, House wrote the symptoms on the board and then poured himself a cup of the coffee that was still sitting in the pot. He was glad to see that it was hot, indicating that it hadn't been made all that long a time ago.

"What are you doing?" Cuddy asked from behind him. This time, he managed to hold on to his coffee, though he jumped the slightest bit.

"Damn it, woman, what have I told you about scaring me?" House asked. "Don't do it. And I was pouring my coffee and putting sugar in it, if you must know."

"Um, okay then?" Cuddy said. She sat at the table. "Where's your team now?"

"Well, Thirteen's recovering from surgery," House started.

"House. Your team who hasn't had brain surgery," Cuddy said.

"Taub is running tests and Foreman and Chase are headed to the patient's house as we speak," House informed her. "Why'd you give me this case?"

"What do you mean?" Cuddy asked innocently.

"Cuddy," House said. "No one wants to go to a house that's infested with every type of animal, bug, and paramecium known to man."

"Well, you have Foreman and Chase on it, so it should be fine," Cuddy said. "They might hate you forever for making them go to the disgusting place, but you'll be making the patient better in the process."

"Who wants to take care of someone who can't get rid of a damn thing that anyone gives them?" House asked her. "I know I don't."

"If you don't, you won't get paid," Cuddy said.

"Says who?" House asked.

"Says me," Cuddy ordered. "Now, get back to work.

XXX

"So," Chase said. "What's the deal with this house?"

Foreman looked at him and then returned his attention to the road. "Our patient is a hoarder," he told him. "An animal hoarder, specifically. And bugs. So, um, watch your step."

Chase stared at him. "Are you kidding me?" he asked. "Is this why House wouldn't tell me? So I couldn't object to going."

"Bingo," Foreman said.

"That's just," Chase stammered. "That's just… disgusting to say the least. What is… who does that?"

"The patient."

Chase sighed. "I don't even want to go now. Just turn around and go back or something."

"Might as well finish what we started," Foreman said with a heavy sigh. He pulled the car up to the patient's house and shut it off, but hesitated to get out.

"Are we doing this or what?" Chase asked.

"I guess," Foreman said.

They both stepped out of the car and closed the doors slowly, stalling themselves. They slowly made their way up the walkway and reached the front door. Foreman bent down and picked the lock, and Chase opened the door.

"Ah, my God!" Chase exclaimed when the door opened.

"What the hell is that smell?" Foreman asked. "How do you _live_ like this?"

As they slowly and hesitantly made their way into the house, the soft purring of cats and whining of dogs started to resonate in their ears. They watched their step, making sure not to step in any of the waste that was left on the floor.

"I hate House," Foreman said.

"Taub's doing this next time," Chase contributed. "Did you find anything?"

"Not yet," Foreman told him. "I'm going to go check the upstairs, see if there's anything up there that could be causing the symptoms."

"I'll be here," Chase said. "Unless I die from this God awful odor."

Chase watched as Foreman slowly ascended the steps and then got to work on his floor, picking up whatever he felt was vital to the case. After a half an hour, he and Foreman got sufficient enough evidence to leave the house. They did so with a quickness.

"I need a shower," Chase said as they got back into the car. "ASAP."

"The first place we stop when we get out of this car is the locker room," Foreman agreed. "I will never go to a place like that again. It was so disgusting."

"How many animals were upstairs?" Chase asked him.

"About the same amount as downstairs," Foreman said. "But there was a giant anaconda in one of the rooms."

"So that's what that shriek I heard was?" Chase asked, laughing. "I thought that was a ghost or something."

"Chase, shut up," Foreman said. "You would've screamed even louder of you were the one who found the giant thing. It was the length of that room, I swear. That's something to shriek at!"

"Yeah, but not like a little girl," Chase said. "That's just a little bit weird. You need to work on that."

"Okay, Chase," Foreman said.

"Do you think this smell will come off in the shower?" Chase asked a few minutes later. "It'd better."

"I would say so," Foreman said. "But I hope you have some sort of body wash or something, just in case. It might decide it wants to stay on you, like skunk smell. So I would wash thoroughly."

"Good to know," Chase said. They reached the hospital then. "Sprint to the showers? First person there gets ten bucks?"

Foreman held out his hand. "You're on," he said.

Chase clasped it tightly in his.

XXX

"What'd you guys find out?" House asked when all of his team members (minus Thirteen) were in the room with him. "It better have been something good."

"The blood tests are running as we speak," Taub said.

"That house," Chase said. "Someone should call the police."

"Chase, I don't care about the patient's home," House said. "I ca… I'm here helping the patient. I need to know what was in the house that you found and that I can use."

"We found paint chips, mold, and animal waste," Foreman said. "We took it to the lab, we're going to do the analysis later."

House sat for a minute. "Why do you two smell clean?" he asked Foreman and Chase. "You just came from that horrible house, you should smell like crap. Literally."

"We showered," Chase said. "We aren't going to walk around smelly and dirty and disgusting all day, House."

"You should do that next time," House said. "I needed to know this as soon as you got to the hospital."

Just then, all of their beepers went off. "The chewing out will have to wait," Foreman said. "The patient's crashing."

Taub, Foreman, and Chase rushed out of the room and down to their patient's, while House walked as fast as he could. They rushed around him and grabbed the paddles, attempting to restart his heart. After four tries, the shocks took, and a natural rhythm was regained in the patient. However, he still lay unconscious on the bed, chest exposed. The nurses covered him back up and pumped more drugs into him at a reasonable level.

"His kidneys are failing," Taub said, noticing the bag of tea-colored liquid hanging from the bed.

"And his liver," Chase said after he checked his eyes. "What is wrong with this guy?"

XXX

"Can we stop at the store first?" Chase asked Cameron as they walked out of the hospital that night.

"Sure," Cameron said. "Why?"

"I need to buy you a gift, of course," Chase said. "But you need to stay in the car so that you don't know what it is."

Cameron sighed, unlocking her car. "Fine," she said. "I'll stay in the car. You're so uptight about this."

"How am I uptight?" Chase asked.

Cameron laughed. "You just… You just are!" she said with a laugh. "I can't explain it, you just are."

"I want an explanation."

"Nope," Cameron said. "You'll get no explanation and you'll like it!"

Chase sighed. "Fine," he said. "We can just go to the corner store."

Cameron drove for about five minutes, and then stopped in front of the store that Chase had indicated. "Stay right here," he ordered. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," Cameron said, somewhat uneasy.

Chase walked into the store and browsed the aisles. He found the cards and picked one out that he figured she might like, and then went to look for a bottle of wine. After he found that, he went to the register and paid for the products.

"See, that didn't take so long," he said as he climbed back into the car. "Don't look in the bag!"

"Chase," Cameron said. "It's dark out. There's no way I can see what's in the bag."

Chase narrowed his eyes. "Don't look in the bag," he said.

XXX

** To all you amazing people. This chapter was so short because it was the chapter that got me to 50k in NaNoWriMo! I'm so excited right now, you don't understand. I want to thank you all for reading this, I appreciate you so much. This is kind of my little gift to you, updating twice in one night. I'm so **_**excited**_**, oh my goodness! Thank you ALL so much, I love you forever!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Allison turned the key in the lock and opened up the door. She smelled something delicious and fresh coming from the kitchen.

"Whoa, that smells delicious!" Chase said excitedly. "I'll be right back." He headed back to the guest room so that he could set up his gift for her.

"Hey, Allison!" Thirteen said when she came out of the kitchen.

Cameron laughed. Thirteen was wearing an apron and had flour smeared on her face. "Rem, you look like one of those women from the movies who's always in the kitchen!" she said. "That's cute."

"I was making your dinner!" Thirteen said. "Leave me alone!"

"I gave you a compliment!" Cameron said, laughing again. She sat her things by the door and then straightened herself out. "What'd you make?"

"Chicken, rice, I don't know," Thirteen said. "Good things. There, I made good things for you."

"You better have," Cameron joked. "Where are we sitting?"

"At the table in the kitchen," Thirteen said. She led her there, pointing to her place at the table. "You're sitting there, and Chase and I are sitting on either side of you."

"I like that arrangement," Cameron said. She sat down in her place. "You guys are the greatest."

"Don't have to tell me that twice," Chase said as he returned to the room. "You can't have your gift until after dinner. I left it in the back room."

"Thanks, Chase," Cameron said. "Now I'm going to be sitting here, anxious as all get out. Thanks a lot."

" 'Anxious as all get out'?" Thirteen said with a laugh. "Who says that?"

"I do!" Cameron said. "Now, shut up."

"Chase, can you serve her?" Thirteen asked as she prepared her own plate.

"Why do I have to do it? Chase asked at the same time that Cameron said, "I can get my own plate, you know."

"Okay, Allison, it's your birthday, you're not getting your own plate," Thirteen said. "And Chase? Stop complaining. I spent all day cooking and cleaning and setting up for this, the least you can do is get a plate for yourself and for Allison."

Chase stared wide-eyed at her. "Um, okay," he said, slowly getting up.

Cameron sat in her chair, chuckling. She poured herself a cup of what she thought was champagne until she sipped it. "Is this," she said, "sparkling apple juice?"

"Yup," Thirteen said. "I bought it while you were at work."

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Chase asked. Thirteen smacked him on the arm.

"Well, thank you Rem," Cameron said. "Sparkling apple juice is the best thing besides—"

"Wine!" Thirteen and Chase shouted at the same time. They high-fived each other. Cameron just threw them a look and waited for her dinner to arrive in front of her.

Chase sat the place in front of Cameron. She looked down, spying the array of her favorite foods and smiling in delight. "Thanks, Rem," she said.

"Hey, hey," Chase said. "What about me?"

"Chase, all you did was put the food in front of me," Cameron said. "But thanks for being here!"

Chase huffed and then laughed, and took his seat after fixing a plate for himself.

XXX

"Why are you still here?" Cuddy asked when she spied House in the clinic, standing at the counter. "I figured you would've left by now."

"The case is difficult and Chase isn't here," House said. "So I have to stay late to work on it with Boring and Bitesize."

Cuddy sighed. "Why do you call them that?" she asked. "There's no point to it."

"It makes it bearable for me to work with them," House told her, turning around. "I might be over later, depends on how long the case takes."

"That's fine," Cuddy told him. "I'll see you later, House."

"Night, Cuddy," he said.

"Night, House," she said. He watched her as she exited the clinic and walked out of the hospital. He then went to the elevator and took it back up to his floor.

"Got anything?" he asked when he entered the room. "I need information."

"There is _nothing_ to explain these symptoms!" Taub said, somewhat exasperated. "I can't tell you what's wrong with him."

"I agree with Taub," Foreman told him. "We've checked this guy several times, there's nothing to explain what's wrong with him except for the fact that he's sick."

House thought for a moment. "Unless he isn't sick," he said suddenly.

Taub and Foreman stared at their boss. "What are you talking about?" Foreman asked. "He's obviously sick, he's losing functionality of his liver and kidneys, above all else."

"Maybe he's _making_ himself sick," House said. "Didn't he say that he almost never gets sick? What if he's making himself sick?"

"That's actually… plausible," Taub said. "He could be making himself sick to see what it feels like."

"Wouldn't that make him a hypochondriac, then?" Foreman asked. "And what could he take that wouldn't show up on a tox screen?"

"That's what you're here to find out," House said, putting on his coat. "I'm going home."

"You're going to leave us here to do this by ourselves?" Foreman asked, wide-eyed. House gave him a look and effectively shut him up. Foreman sighed. "Let's go, Taub." He and Taub walked out of the room.

House gathered his bag and things together and left the room a short time after them, stopping off at Wilson's office before heading home. He saw that his friend was still there, and opened the door. "What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Finishing some paperwork," Wilson said simply. "Why, what do you need?"

"Why do you ask me that every time I come in here?" House asked. "Maybe I just wanted to talk and visit you? How about that?"

"Whatever you say," Wilson said. "I need to finish this work before I can go anywhere."

"You think I'm going somewhere with you?" House asked. "I just came to see what you were doing!"

"You never just come to see what I'm doing," Wilson replied. "You always want something. What is it you want?"

"Nothing."

Wilson sighed. "Is Cuddy's mother coming to town again?" he asked.

"Oh, no," House said immediately. "I couldn't take that again. I just have nothing to do."

"Go home, go to Cuddy's, do something," Wilson said. "I have work to do."

House sighed loudly. "Fine," he said, standing slowly. "See you tomorrow, then."

"Night, House," Wilson said. He never looked up from his work.

House exited the hospital and went back to Cuddy's home, knowing she'd be waiting for him to step through the door.

XXX

Cuddy smiled when she heard the doorbell sound, knowing that House was standing at the door, waiting for her to answer. She left her daughter playing with her food in the dining room and rose to answer the door.

"Hey," she said when she opened the door. She kissed him lightly. "Missed you."

House laughed. "It's only been an hour!" he said. "You've had no time to miss me!"

"I missed you the second I left the hospital," Cuddy told him, letting him in and closing the door.

"Don't go all lovey-dovey and stuff," House said as he took off his coat. "You know that bothers me!"

"Oh well, you'll have to deal with it." Cuddy walked back over to the table and sat with her daughter. "We have Chicken Stir Fry for dinner tonight," she said. "Come make yourself a plate."

"You can't make me one?" House said to her jokingly.

"Nope, I'm not your housewife."

House laughed and walked into the kitchen, taking some of the delicious-looking food out of the pan and placing it on a plate. He poured himself a cup of water and joined Cuddy and her daughter at the table. "This better be good," he said.

"The dinner?" Cuddy asked. "It's delicious. Rachel likes it."

"So?"

"She's been picky lately," Cuddy said. "You remember the dinner with my mother, I said that!"

House remembered that dinner and cringed. "That was the worst thing I've ever lived through," he said. "Don't torture me like that again."

"Didn't she come and apologize, though?" Cuddy asked. "Before she left?"

"Yeah, but… still!" House laughed. "Never again. I hate being nice!"

"So why're you so nice to me, then?" Cuddy asked him.

"No idea," House said. "I need to stop that."

XXX

"Can I open my gifts now?" Cameron asked Thirteen and Chase when she finished with her dinner and cake.

"Should we let her, Chase?" Thirteen asked, directing her attention to the man across from her.

He thought for a moment. "Maybe, Rem," he said. "Rock paper scissors to see who gets them?"

Thirteen sighed. "You are such a little baby," she said, holding her fist out. They played the decisive game, and Chase lost. "Don't pout, just get them!" Thirteen and Cameron chuckled as Chase went to get the gifts.

"You are so mean to him," Cameron said while he was gone.

"Not true," Thirteen said. "I'm nice to him. I just won a game, that's all."

"You knew you were going to win, though," Cameron laughed. "You need to do something better with your life than making fun of Chase."

Thirteen laughed. "Shut up, Allison!"

Chase came back into the room and placed the bags and boxes in front of Cameron. "I hope you like them," he said. "And some are from work, too."

"Who would get me gifts besides you two?" Cameron asked with a chuckle.

"Um, Cuddy. And some of the people from the ER," Chase said. "Open mine first!"

Thirteen laughed. "Chase, you sound like a little baby!" she said.

He looked at her. "Shut up."

"Stop bickering you two," Cameron demanded. "Chase, give me your gift if you want me to open it first."

Chase handed her the gift from him and leaned back in his chair, smiling a smug smile at Thirteen. "She opened mine first."

"'Cause she didn't want to hear you gripe," she joked. "Plus, saving mine for last is saving the best for last."

"What'd I say?" Cameron asked as she opened Chase's gift.

"Sorry," Thirteen and Chase said in unison. "Mom," Chase added. Thirteen threw a breadstick at him.

Cameron continued to open the gift, and laughed at what she saw. "You got me wine?" she asked.

"Happy birthday!" Chase said with a laugh.

"You're a loser, you know that?" Cameron said. Chase just laughed.

Cameron proceeded to open the gifts that she received from the people at work, planning to save all of the cards to read until after she'd opened and gushed over all of her gifts. She placed them in a pile next to her, and placed the gifts (besides the wine) on the floor by her chair.

Cuddy had gotten Cameron a basket full of things to take care of herself for the winter, including lip balm and gloves, which Cameron greatly appreciated, seeing as how she did not have that many items that she could wear outside in the dead of winter without being cold. She kept it in her head to write out thank you notes to those who gave her gifts, or even just a card.

She kept going through the gifts, Thirteen getting visibly antsy as Cameron got closer to her gift.

From several doctors in the ER (they'd gotten her a group gift), she'd gotten a basket of flowers. From her parents just a card and some chocolates, and from (surprisingly) Foreman she'd gotten a notebook, though she couldn't imagine what for. She hadn't expected a gift from Foreman, and was surprisingly delighted.

"Okay, now," Thirteen said. "You have to open mine now!"

"I might make you wait 'til after Chase leaves if you keep telling me to open yours," Cameron threatened, holding the large gift in her lap.

Thirteen pouted, and Chase said, "Yeah, and that could be a while. I don't plan on leaving any time soon."

Thirteen stayed silent.

Cameron took a deep breath and carefully unwrapped the gift, which was awkward sitting in her lap. She had to reach up her arm's entire length just to reach the top of the box. "Damn you, Remy," she said. "You know I don't have long arms!"

"So then put it on the ground!" Thirteen suggested with a laugh. Cameron followed that suggestion, setting the box carefully on the ground.

At long last, Cameron got the box open. She was shocked to see what was inside. "You used this giant box to put a pillow all the way at the bottom?" she asked. "But thanks, though. You knew I wanted a pillow. I can sleep more comfortably now."

"Ally," Thirteen said. "Look _under_ the pillow. Oh, and you're welcome."

Cameron eyed Thirteen suspiciously, and Chase, and then took the pillow out of the box. She gasped. "You got me a new MacBook?" she said with a large smile. "That must've cost so _much_!"

"It was worth it," Thirteen said happily. Then she looked over. "Something wrong, Chase?"

He had a forlorn look on his face. "You always overshadow me!" he said, sounding as hurt as a child who'd had his spot taken on the kickball team in elementary school because the recess aide told him to.

"Oh, get over it!" Thirteen laughed. "Happy birthday, Allison."

Cameron had tears in her eyes. She hugged them both. "Thank you guys. So much. I love you."

"Love you, too, Allison," Chase and Thirteen said at the same time. They sat down and watched Cameron open her cards.

XXX

Hey guys… sorry I haven't updated in so long, if you're still following this story xD My life's been busy, I've developed a crush and can't write while I'm talking to them, everything's just so distracting. (And a note to you guys—DON'T JOIN TUMBLR, YOU'LL NEVER GET ANYTHING DONE. :) ) LOLOL. But yes. Thanks for reading, and I promise, updates will be a lot faster. I love this story, it's my baby. It's the first story that (according to y'all) I've written well. Thanks for all the positive reviews, and keep reading! I'll try to update at least once a week from now on xD Thank you, thank you. I hope you liked/loved this chapter. I love you all!

**-Mani 3**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Where're you going?" House said tiredly when he felt Cuddy sit up beside him and pull on her robe. He looked at the clock. "It's three in the morning."

"I'm going to get some water," Cuddy said. "Not tired, I'll be right back, promise."

House got up and followed her. "Are you not feeling well?" he asked.

"I feel perfectly—" Cuddy was saying when she was interrupted by a cough. "Fine," she finished. "I just need some water."

House sighed. "Turn around," he urged. When Cuddy didn't listen, he said, "Seriously, turn around. You'll _die_ if you don't."

"There's no need to be _that_ harsh about it," Cuddy said with a slight laugh, coughing again.

"You're too stubborn," House said. "I needed you to turn around."

"Why?" Cuddy asked.

House stayed silent, and Cuddy turned back around. "I'm going to get my water," she said. However, he grabbed her arm and turned her back around.

"Go back to bed, I'll get it," he said quietly. She threw him a look and then obeyed his orders, returning to her room.

House poured a glass of water for the woman waiting in the next room, and, grabbing the thermometer from a drawer, returned to the room. "Here," he said, placing the glass on the nightstand and holding out the thermometer. "Open up."

Cuddy stared at him. "Why?" she asked.

"It's obvious you're sick," House said in reply. "Now we just need to see if you have a fever or not. Open up."

The woman sighed and opened her mouth. House sat gently by her feet and stuck the thermometer in her mouth, also placing his hand on her forehead. She felt warm, House could tell she had a fever. He took the thermometer out of Cuddy's mouth when it beeped and took a look at it. "100.7," he told her. "No way you're going in today."

"I have to, though," Cuddy told him.

"You say that every time," House said as he stood again. "I'm going to get you some Tylenol, don't try to go anywhere."

Cuddy flopped down on her bed. Sighing, she took her phone off the nightstand and checked it for any messages. When she found none, she simply replaced the phone and took a swig of water.

House came back into the room then. "Take two now, and then two at noon," he said to her, handing her four pills. "I'm going back to sleep now, are you going to call in sick for both of us?"

"You can call for yourself," Cuddy said, turning over. "Night, House."

Cuddy had almost fallen back to sleep when her phone rang. She sighed. "Hello?" she answered without looking at the caller ID.

"I'm taking the day off," she heard House say, both next to her and in the speaker of her phone.

Sighing, she hung up her phone and turned over to face House. "You really had to call me just to say that?" she asked.

"You told me I had to call," House said simply. "You're my boss, I called."

Cuddy slapped him lightly on the arm. "Stop being such a smart ass," she said.

"Make me."

She sighed and kissed him on the cheek. "Night, House," she said again.

He returned the kiss to her lips. When she stared at him, he said, "If you're going to be sick, I guess I could be sick, too. It doesn't matter, we're both off tomorrow… today."

Cuddy smiled lightly. "I love you," she said before falling into another round of sleep. She held House to her.

XXX

Thirteen poked Cameron in the side. The three of them had fallen asleep on the couch watching an old movie on television the night before.

Cameron groaned. "What?" she whined, moving her head to lay it on Chase's arm.

"What time do you have to be at work?" Thirteen asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes. It was her first day back to work, and she had to be in by nine.

"Um, I don't know," Cameron said. "I might not go in today, I'm tired. You go with Chase."

"You wake him up, then," Thirteen said, standing. "I need to get dressed."

Cameron sighed and nudged Chase as Thirteen left the room. "Hey," she said.

"Hmm?" he said incoherently.

"Thirteen needs to go to work, and you have to go home and get changed before you go in, too," Cameron told him.

He looked at her, sleep in his eyes. "Whuh?" he asked slowly.

"Thirteen's getting dressed. You need to be ready when she gets done so that you two can go back to your apartment, get you dressed, and go to work." Cameron stood up and walked into the kitchen. She started to prepare a pot of coffee to wake Chase up.

"Hrrm," Chase said. Cameron could tell he was starting to go back to sleep. After waiting five minutes for the coffee to finish, she poured it into a cup, added milk and sugar, and took it into the living room.

"Drink this," she said, handing the cup to him. When he grunted but did not lift his arms, Cameron lifted them for him and placed the mug in his hands. "Drink it, Chase," she ordered again. "It'll wake you up."

Chase opened his eyes a little bit and took a sip of the hot drink. "Thanks, Cameron," he said. He drank more of the brown liquid and turned on the TV.

Thirteen came out of the room a few minutes later, completely showered and dressed. "Oh, coffee!" she said happily when she smelled it in the air. "Thanks, Allison!" She gave Cameron a kiss on the cheek and walked over to pour herself some of the drink, putting it in a travel mug. "Come on, Chase, we've got to get you home if we're going to make it to work on time."

Chase took his time standing up, first giving Cameron a quick hug before leaving the apartment with Thirteen.

XXX

When Cuddy woke up, she smelled what she thought was breakfast sausage and eggs on the stove. She also felt miserable. Taking a few minutes to get herself together, she finally got out of bed and shuffled into the kitchen.

"What's this?" she asked, taking a seat at the counter.

"Food," House replied, making a plate. "Don't worry, I didn't poison it or anything."

"Didn't think you did," Cuddy said. "God, I feel awful."

"Which is why I made you stay home," House said. He placed a plate of food in front of her. "Eat up!"

Cuddy picked up her fork. "You know you can't take off every time _I_ take off, right?" she asked, eating a small bit of sausage. She really didn't have much of an appetite.

"I know that," House said. "But you've got to have someone to take care of you. Your fever's pretty high." He sat down with his own plate after giving a small bowl of Cheerios to Rachel.

"It's good to know that you care," Cuddy said semi-sarcastically. She ate another small bite of sausage and followed it with a small portion of eggs.

"You need to eat," House said, disregarding her last statement.

"Maybe I'm not hungry?" Cuddy said, now sounding the slightest bit irritated.

"No need to get mad at me!" House said. "I'm just telling the truth."

"Whatever, House," Cuddy said, standing up. She wasn't sure why she was so irritated, but she let it slide and said, "I'm going back to sleep."

House sighed. "I'll be out here if you need me," he said. "Your food's going in the fridge."

House watched her throw a hand back in acknowledgement as she headed back to her room, then focused his attentions on Rachel, who was staring at him while chewing her cereal. "What're you looking at?" he asked jokingly. Rachel just laughed at him and offered him a Cheerio. He took it and said, "Well, I guess we've got the house to ourselves for a while, huh? Don't bother me, kid."

He picked up Rachel and walked into the living room, placing her in her playpen and turning on the television. He flopped down on the couch and turned to Bravo, delighted to find that an episode of _The Real Housewives of New Jersey_ was on. He sat back and started to watch the show.

XXX

"What'd I miss?" Thirteen said with a smile when she entered the conference room, Chase right on her heels.

Foreman and Taub smiled. "Welcome back!" Taub said. However, the two of them didn't move in for a hug, something Thirteen was slightly thankful for. She would've felt awkward.

"Thanks," she said. "Now, which case are we on now?" she asked. "Or did you finish?"

"We finished," Foreman said. "After Chase left. And House."

"Oh, good," Thirteen said. "So we can just sit here and do nothing? That works for me."

Chase laughed. "Yup. Unless you want to go help out in the ER or help Wilson or something," he said.

Thirteen sat in a chair. "Eh, maybe later," she said. "I kind of just feel like chilling here for now."

"Well that works then," Foreman said.

"I'm going to the ER," Taub said. He exited the room, looking somewhat suspicious.

"Why's he acting like that?" Thirteen asked to no one in particular. "He's acting… different."

"I think he's seeing one of the nurses down in the ER," Chase said.

"He's cheating on his wife _again_," Thirteen said incredulously. "You think he would've learned from the last time!"

"Nope," Foreman said. "He and Rachel are getting divorced."

Thirteen stared at Foreman with wide eyes. "Really?" she asked. "Since when? This is new!"

"Maybe a week ago?" Chase said. "This is why you shouldn't be getting sick, you miss the fun stuff."

"Well you saw me everyday, you could've told me at any time," Thirteen said. "And don't deny it, because you know it's true."

Chase stared. "Shut up," he said. "Go find a case or something."

"What, don't like admitting when you're wrong and I'm right?" Thirteen asked.

Before Chase could answer, the phone rang. Foreman put it on speaker. "Hello?" he greeted.

"How's the case going?" House's voice said through the phone.

"Finished it last night," Foreman answered. "Are you coming in?"

"No," House said simply. "What are you doing now, sitting around?"

"Um, no?" Chase lied.

"Shut up, Chase, I know you are," House said somewhat harshly. "Go harass Wilson or something, I don't want you guys just sitting there." He hung up the phone.

Chase sighed. "ER?" he asked Thirteen.

"Fine by me," she answered.

"I'm coming, too," Foreman said.

XXX

"What are you doing?" House heard a voice ask him a few hours later. He turned to find Cuddy standing behind him, sleep in her eyes.

"Watching the _Real Housewives_. It's a marathon," he replied.

"That rots your brain," Cuddy said. "I didn't let you stay home just to watch that."

"I don't really think you had a choice in letting me stay home from work," House said to her. "Come on, sit down."

Cuddy considered this for a moment before deciding to listen to him and take a seat next to him. She leaned against him. "I feel horrible," she said.

"Which is why you took off," House told her with a smirk.

"Turn the channel," Cuddy ordered before attempting to take the remote.

House held it out of her reach. "No!" he said, feigning shock. "This is pure entertainment, I can't turn from this!"

"Yes you can," Cuddy said to him. "It's brain-numbing!"

"Go check on your child," House ordered, looking at the child.

"You haven't been checking on her?" Cuddy asked him, jumping up. She looked to the corner where Rachel's play area sat and found her quietly napping on her plush blanket. She sat back down. "How long has she been like that?"

"Um, about an hour or so?" House estimated. "She'll be up soon."

"Well, I would think so," Cuddy said. She placed her head on House's shoulder and settled in to watch some more brain-numbing television.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Did you guys find any cases?" Foreman asked when Chase and Thirteen returned a few hours later. He'd been in the office for the majority of the day, only spending about an hour in the ER.

"Um, not really," Thirteen told him. "We treated some people in the ER and then went to the clinic for a while."

"It took you four hours to treat people?"

"We took some of House's cases," Chase replied. "In case you couldn't tell, he's not exactly here right now."

Foreman gave them a somewhat scorned look before declaring, "I'm going home."

"Night, have fun with Taub playing Xbox," Thirteen said in a mocking tone.

Foreman whirled around. "How do you know he's staying with me?" he asked with force in his voice.

"Um, he's not at his hotel anymore and you're the only one who can halfway tolerate him."

Foreman sighed. "Whatever. Where is he, anyway?" he asked.

"No idea, figured you'd know," Chase said to him. "Night, Foreman." He shooed him off.

Foreman stood for a second before exiting the room, at which point Thirteen started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Chase asked her.

"This whole situation," Thirteen giggled. "Taub went from being in his home to being kicked out and living in a hotel room to living with Foreman and playing Xbox with him. It's funny!"

"If you say so," Chase said. "I think it's kind of messed up, though. I know I wouldn't be putting up with Taub."

"God, I don't think anyone would," Thirteen said. "'Cept for Foreman."

"You're probably right at that," Chase said. "You going to be home tonight?"

"Yeah, you coming over?"

"At some point," Chase said. "Have some leftovers from last night or something, that all right?"

"Perfectly fine," Thirteen said, shrugging her coat on. "I'll see you later then."

"Bye," Chase said to her back. He was about to stop her before realizing that she'd dropped him off and he'd taken his own car to work.

XXX

Cuddy woke up to find her head in House's lap. She looked up, first noticing that it was dark and second noticing that House, too, had fallen asleep. She smiled at the peaceful look on his face before getting up to check on Rachel.

When Cuddy reached the playpen she found Rachel, who looked up at her and smiled happily. Cuddy smiled back and asked, "You hungry?" Rachel quickly nodded yes.

Cuddy picked her child up and walked over to the fridge, placing Rachel in a chair. She opened the door and looked inside, finding some cold food and taking it out. She took the food and a spoon and walked her daughter back to her playpen, placing her inside and sitting the food next to her. "Be very careful, don't spill," she told the child before turning on some lights and returning to the couch.

Cuddy sat down on the couch with one leg curled under her, watching House as he squinched his eyes shut even more to prevent the light from coming in. "What time is it?" he asked her.

"Um, about six PM," Cuddy responded. She reached over and turned off the television.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked next, rubbing his eyes.

"I don't know, I think I fell asleep before you," Cuddy said. "Why didn't you push my head off your lap?"

"Maybe I liked the way it felt," House said, wiggling his eyebrows. Cuddy slapped his arm with a laugh.

"Shut up," she said. "How did you fall asleep?"

"If you recall, I've been awake about as long as you have," House said sarcastically. "I woke up when you did, was up ever since."

"Why didn't you sleep?"

"I was watching the Real Housewives!"

"Because that's a legitimate excuse," Cuddy said sarcastically.

"Hey! I went to sleep after a while!" House blasted back jokingly. "So it's all good there. Promise."

Cuddy sighed. "So what do you want to do now?" she asked him.

"I know what I want to do," House said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Do you know what I want to do?"

"Not while Rach is awake!" Cuddy said loudly. She slapped him on the arm. Then she added, "Maybe later," in a whisper.

House laughed gently. "You're a piece of work," he said.

"You're one to talk!" Cuddy said. "I know how you talked to those fifth-graders and they showed you how to win me back."

"That was months ago!" House said with a laugh. "And how exactly do you know that, anyway? I never told anyone!"

"I have my ways," Cuddy said suspiciously. "All you need to know is that I know you're a piece of work. But I love that piece of work, so it's fine."

House laughed some more. "You're lucky I'm used to you," he said. "I love you, too."

Cuddy smiled.

XXX

"So you coming back to work tomorrow?" Thirteen asked Cameron as they waited for Chase to arrive later that night.

"Um, probably," Cameron said, distracted by the television show that the pair was watching.

"What does probably mean?" Thirteen asked. "Are you considering not going?"

"I don't really know," Cameron said. "I've been considering taking a bit of time off." She avoided looking at Thirteen.

"And you were going to mention this to me _when_?" Thirteen asked. Cameron could hear the hurt and outrage in her voice.

"Well, I'm mentioning it now," she said curtly. "Just so you know."

"But you weren't going to say anything until I brought it up," Thirteen said. Her voice was starting to get louder with the level of her anger. "Why weren't you going to say anything? Don't you think I deserved to know?"

"It's not that!" Cameron shouted. "I just needed time to think about what I'm going to do!"

"You could have TOLD ME," Thirteen shouted back. "That would've been something that I would've liked to know, seeing as I'm your girlfriend and all. Don't you think I should've been privy to that?"

"I didn't want to tell you!" Cameron said. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew that something like this would happen, and I didn't want it to. But now that it's out there, then yes. I have been considering leaving, and I'm most likely going to do it. It's been extremely stressful for me to have to go to work day after day after day and dealing with the annoying patients with paper cuts, and then coming home and having to deal with you while you were sick-" She cut off when she saw the look of hurt on Thirteen's face. "Rem…."

"Save it, Allison," Thirteen said. She stood up and grabbed her coat. "So you don't want to deal with me being sick, I understand. Don't come looking for me when you get sick and need someone to help you deal with your sickness on top of having Huntington's disease—oh, wait, you don't have to deal with Huntington's, do you?" She threw open the door.

"Where are you going?" Cameron asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Thirteen said before slamming the door behind her.

Cameron sat dumbstruck for a moment before bursting into tears, imagining that scene going much better than it did.

Chase walked in a few minutes after Thirteen left. "Why did I just see Thirteen speeding down the road and why are you crying so hard?" he asked.

"I told her that I'm leaving the hospital and she freaked out," Cameron said quietly.

"You're leaving?" he asked slowly. He took Cameron into his arms when she needed and released a set of fresh new tears.

XXX

Chase found Thirteen at a bar a few hours after she'd left Cameron alone on the couch. He'd waited for her to fall asleep before going out to find Thirteen.

"What do you want?" Thirteen asked when she saw that he was standing right next to her. He could smell the alcohol on her breath and knew that she was completely drunk.

"To know why the hell you left Allison sitting like that," he said, demanding her side of the story after listening to Cameron's.

"Because I can't deal with all that right now," Thirteen told him. "I don't feel like dealing with the fact that she doesn't want to care for me when I start to get sicker. So I came here."

"You shouldn't run away from your problems, Rem," Chase replied. "It's not like it's going to help anything."

"I told you, I don't feel like dealing with it," Thirteen repeated. "I'll talk to her when I feel like going back and talking to her."

"You're going to go back sooner rather than later," Chase said simply.

"Says who?"

"You, idiot!" Chase said, somewhat angrily. "It's your home, and you have to tell her how you feel about this whole fucking situation."

Thirteen sighed. "Don't call me an idiot. And why are you all hot and bothered over this? It's not like it even has an effect on you."

"You are being an idiot right now," Chase rebutted. "And it does have an effect on me, believe it or not. I don't need you acting like an idiot when I have to deal with Allison leaving. Both of us have to deal with this, Rem, not just you."

"Oh, shut up!" Thirteen shouted. "You sound so stupid right now. Just leave, I don't feel like dealing with you right now. When I feel like going… somewhere, I'll go somewhere. Just shut up!"

"I sound stupid?" Chase said, disbelief coloring his voice. "Says the one who's sitting here drunk out of her mind because her girlfriend's leaving and didn't say anything."

Thirteen just tipped her drink back.

"You're seriously just going to sit there?" Chase said. "Seriously?"

"You can leave if you want, no one asked you to stay."

"I'm not leaving 'til you leave," Chase said. He ordered a drink.

"I'm not telling her how I feel," Thirteen said quietly.

"Hm?"

"I'm not telling her how I feel," Thirteen repeated. "She's the one who wants to fuck things up, not me. She can leave and then I'll just go back to my life."

"You still sound stupid," Chase said. "If you just let her leave, then it'll be both of your faults. Yours because you didn't at least _try_ to stop her, and hers because she didn't tell you. And I know that the whole situation is messed up. I know she should've told you and not let you find out like this, but seriously? You running out and going to get the nearest drink is not going to help anything."

"Can you stop being philosophical?" Thirteen said. She threw back a shot and then slammed the glass on the table, nearly breaking it. She may not be admitting that she was upset, but she sure was showing it.

"Go home, Rem," Chase urged.

Thirteen shook her head. "Don't want to."

"Go home, talk to her."

Thirteen sighed. "You'll have to go with me if I do," she said slowly.

Chase laughed. "Now you sound like a little kid. But fine."

XXX

"You still sick?" House asked Cuddy later after they'd put Rachel to bed.

"I don't know," Cuddy responded, raising an eyebrow. "Feel my forehead and tell me if I still have a fever."

House did as she asked. "You don't feel warm anymore," he said. "But go use a thermometer just in case."

Cuddy went to the kitchen.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Thirteen and Chase arrived back at Thirteen's apartment building about an hour later. Thirteen sighed and then slowly stepped out of Chase's car.

"I'll get your car later, after this," Chase assured her as he followed her into the building.

"It's fine," Thirteen said. "Just leave it, I'll get it before work tomorrow."

"And how are you going to get there?" The two entered the elevator.

"I'll take the bus or something," Thirteen answered. "Don't worry about it."

"You're not taking the bus," Chase said. "I'll pick you up tomorrow so we can go and get it."

Thirteen sighed. "Fine."

They reached her floor then, and she hesitated before stepping out, Chase following her lead. She walked slowly to her door and then unlocked it, walking in to find Cameron packing. Cameron turned away when she heard it open, tears staining her face.

Thirteen looked at Chase, who mouthed _Go ahead._ She took a deep breath and walked over, sitting in the chair closest to the kitchen. "Tell me why you're leaving," she demanded.

"Oh, so now you want to talk?" Cameron said angrily. She turned back to her luggage and continued piling clothes into it.

"Would you stop and listen to me?" Thirteen said, voice raised. "Stop packing and tell me why you're leaving."

"Why should you even care?" Cameron asked. "I told you it's because I can't deal with all of this anymore. You and the hospital are the reason I'm leaving."

Thirteen sat back, stung and close to tears. "Tell me why you're leaving because of me. Tell me why. 'Cause I'm pretty sure I didn't do a damn thing to hurt you in any way possible. I think you're just scared to see me once I get sick."

"Shut up, you know it's not that," Cameron said harshly. She started to throw her clothes into the suitcase with even more force.

"Then what _is it_, Allison?" Thirteen said. Her voice was starting to rise. "Tell me why the fuck you decided to up and leave. Because the reasons that you're giving aren't real reasons. I need a _real reason._"

"I'm tired, Rem!" Cameron shouted. "I'm tired of having to rush around to cater to everyone's whims in the damn ER when I get almost nothing in return. I'm tired of watching Chase run around with random women he met while working on a case. I'm tired of sitting around and being scared every time you get sick because I think this might be the one to do you in. I'm tired of being harassed by House every chance he gets. I'm tired of Cuddy picking on me for everything. I'm tired. I'm tired. I just can't do this anymore. And to tell the truth, I don't want to be the one who's going to have to take care of you once your Huntington's hits full force. Because you're just going to be lying around like an invalid and I don't have the time to take care of you. I can't do that!"

Chase looked hurt. "Whatever," was what he said, however, and walked into the kitchen.

Thirteen, however, looked positively livid. "What the hell is _wrong with you_?" she shouted. "I understand wanting to leave the ER, I get that. I would want to do it, too. But saying you don't want to take care of me when I get sicker? What the fuck is that? What is wrong with you? I won't be _like___an invalid, I _will_ be one. I will be. You are so fucking insensitive! There's seriously something wrong in your head, because to say that you can't take care of someone you love, someone you care about because they're going to be laying around like a lump? That's just wrong. That's horrible."

"There is nothing wrong with me," Cameron shouted back. "It's you!"

"How is it me? Yeah, there's something wrong in my head, but it's _genetic_. Genetic, Cameron!"

Cameron sighed, clearly exasperated. She just shook her head. "Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore." She zipped her suitcase shut and lifted it. "I'm gone."

Thirteen watched as Cameron walked out the door, out of her life. She slowly sat and started to cry.

XXX

"Where're Thirteen and Chase?" House asked when he walked into the office the next day.

"How're we supposed to know?" Taub responded. "We're not their parents. I don't care where they are, just that they come."

"No one asked for all that," House said. "Do we have a case yet?"

"Nope," came Foreman's voice. "Want me to go check for one?"

"Yeah," House replied. He was clearly distracted, but Foreman let it go and left the room, Taub on his heels.

He called Thirteen's home and cell phones, getting no answer. Then he called Chase, who answered after the fifth ring. "What do you want, House?" Chase greeted.

"Why aren't you here?" House demanded.

"It's not like we have a case," Chase said. "You don't need us today, so we're staying home. We didn't call you asking why you weren't here yesterday."

"No need to be so testy," House mocked.

"Shut up, House," Chase said, clearly angry. "We'll be in tomorrow." He hung up the phone and left House somewhat dumbstruck.

He placed his cane on the ground and used it to lift his body up from the chair that he'd sat in. He walked out of his office and into Wilson's.

"I think Cameron and Thirteen broke up," he said as soon as he walked in.

Wilson looked up. "What makes you think that?" he asked.

"Because Chase and Thirteen didn't come into work today and I can guarantee you that if you walk down to the ER right now you won't find Cameron."

"And that makes you think they broke up?" Wilson asked dubiously.

"That, and Thirteen didn't answer her phone," House continued. "She usually answers on the first or second ring. So when she didn't answer either phone, I figured I should call Chase. And then he was talking rudely."

"You sound like you were hurt by that," Wilson observed.

"No, I'm just thinking," House said. "I think Cameron left the hospital."

"What do you mean, left the hospital?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," House explained. "I think she left the hospital, either to get away from the work and the 'horrible people' she has to deal with—her words. And to get out of taking care of Thirteen once the Huntington's takes over. And no one has an idea of what's going on."

"Cuddy would know," Wilson said.

XXX

"Do you know why two of my fellows and one of my formers aren't here?" House asked when he barged into Cuddy's office, Wilson hot on his heels.

Cuddy looked up from her paperwork and stared at him. "Hi, Wilson, how are you?" she asked. House wondered why she was avoiding the question.

"Um, fine," Wilson answered, somewhat thrown off. "Are you feeling better?"

House cut Cuddy off before she could say anything. "Stop the chitchat!" he said loudly. "Why aren't Chase, Cameron, and Thirteen here?"

Cuddy sighed loudly. "Because Cameron's leaving the hospital," she said forcefully.

House looked at Wilson pointedly. "Told you so," he said with a smile. Then to Cuddy, he asked, "Do you know why?"

"She found a better job elsewhere," Cuddy said hesitantly. "I'm guessing that Thirteen took it hard and Chase is there to comfort her."

"Where's she going to work now?" Wilson asked, genuinely interested in knowing the answer.

"Some hospital out in California, I think," Cuddy answered.

"Ah," House said. "Okay, bye, Cuddy!" he said, quickly hobbling out of the office.

Wilson and Cuddy stared at each other for a fleeting moment before they both said, "He's up to something."

"What do you think it is, though?" Wilson asked.

"I have no idea," Cuddy replied.

XXX

House knocked at the door and waited for an answer. After a few moments, she opened the door. "House? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Wondering why you're leaving the hospital and heading out to California, that's why I'm here," he answered. "And why you're hiding out here waiting to leave."

Cameron sighed. "Come in," she said, opening the door wider for him.

House walked in slowly, taking in the shabby little hotel room and wondering why Cameron didn't use the money she earned from the hospital to find a better place to stay, or even stay at her apartment. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Cameron asked. She sat down in a chair at the little table and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Want some?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," he said in a dismissed tone. "Why are you here in this ratty hotel instead of at your apartment?"

"I already sold the apartment," Cameron said. She poured House a cup of the coffee and passed it to him. "And I plan to leave tomorrow or the day after, I just have to book a plane."

"Well from the way you're living, I don't think you expected to be flying out this early, did you?" House asked.

Cameron hated that he knew her so well. "I wasn't planning on flying out until next week, no. But things had to be moved up."

"Because you didn't tell Thirteen until the last minute and she freaked out and then you decided that you needed to leave and get out as soon as you could?" House said, all in one breath.

Cameron stood, dumbstruck. "How did you know that?" she asked, quickly busying herself with other tasks to avoid House's gaze.

"It's kind of obvious," House said. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Yeah, in your head," Cameron snapped.

House shrugged that off. "I don't care if you leave, personally, but you know you'll be back eventually, even if it's only for a visit."

"Says who?"

"You," House said. "Well, you didn't really _say_ it, per se, but you're making it quite obvious that you don't want to leave, and that you only are because you and Thirteen had a fight and broke up. But don't forget to visit me when you come back!" He stood up and left, Cameron staring after him the entire time.

XXX

"So… what do you want to do?" Chase asked Thirteen. They were sitting on the couch together, Thirteen staring at the wall above her television.

She turned her head numbly. "I don't know," she said. She sounded sad.

"Well we should do something," Chase said, trying to get her pumped up. "You can't just sit around all day! Let's go get something to eat. I'll take you to that Chinese place you love!"

Thirteen was quiet. Then: "Fine."

Chase smiled slightly. "Go get changed and then we'll go," he ordered gently. She did as he said, coming out a few minutes later in a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt, hair up in a ponytail.

"I'm ready," she said quietly, grabbing her handbag from the back of a chair.

"Well, let's go, then," Chase said. He opened the door for her and followed as they headed for his car. "We're going to get your car after, okay?" he said.

"That's fine."

They climbed into the car and Chase started it up, pulling out of his parking space slowly and easing into traffic. Once they were well underway he snuck a look at Thirteen, who was staring sadly out the window.

"Come on, cheer up!" he said in an excited tone. "Please?"

She looked at him. "Only for you, Chase," she said, tacking on a slight smile. "Only for you."

"Thank you!" he said.

After about fifteen more minutes they reached the Chinese place that Thirteen loved, and exited the car.

"Order whatever you want," Chase told her as they walked in. "I'm buying."

Thirteen smiled. "Thanks," she said.

The pair sat at a table for the next hour and ate and talked, going over everything that'd happened in the past 24 hours. After receiving their fortune cookies and reading them ("Those who wait have no worries" for Chase, and "Listen to the music and everything will happen" for Thirteen), they left the restaurant and headed back to Thirteen's apartment, first stopping to get her car.

They entered the elevator and got off at her floor, Chase standing beside her as they walked to her door. She stuck the key in and turned the lock, looking at Chase with a friendly smile as she opened it and motioned for him to walk in.

He kissed her.

XXX

Bam, ending! Hahahahaha, thought I'd throw that in there. In case y'all didn't see it. Though I did kinda make it obvious. I think? Oh well. Anyway, I hope this was a good chapter, and sorry it's taking me so long to update. My life's been kind of… hectic lately, and I haven't had the time/motivation to write. So here, my friends, is chapter 16!

**SYDNEY WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT?**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"So what'd you do?" Cuddy asked later as they sat on her couch.

He stared at her. "What do you mean?" he asked, flipping on the television and turning to watch Rachel play.

"When you walked out of my office," Cuddy elaborated. "We both know you had a scheme. Where'd you go?"

"To see Cameron."

This time Cuddy stared at him. "Why?" she asked him.

"Trying to see why she left the hospital," House said. "And to get her to come back. And to see what's going on between her and Thirteen."

"Ah," Cuddy replied. "And how did that go?"

"I didn't convince her," House said with a laugh. "I doubted I would. But I was also trying to prove to Wilson that she and Thirteen broke up."

"Did they?"

"Yup!" House said.

"And does Wilson know?"

"Told him as soon as I got back to the hospital. Let me tell you, he was pretty pissed about it."

"About the fact that you were right?" Cuddy asked. She laid her head on House's shoulder and breathed deeply.

"Yeah," House said. He reached to stroke her hair. "It's funny how worked up he gets."

"If you say so," Cuddy laughed. "What do you want for dinner?"

House pondered this for a moment. "Um, surprise me," he said finally. "I can't think of anything. And if it's super Cuddy healthy I'll make your life a living hell."

Cuddy laughed again. "You never make good on those promises, you know," she said as she stood. Placing a kiss on his cheek, she headed to her kitchen.

House sat for a moment, staring into the distance, before returning to reality and finding Rachel standing in front of him. She held a Barbie doll up in front of his face and said, "Play?"

"What are we playing this time?" he asked her, genuinely interested. He eased himself to the floor and took the Ken doll instead.

"Barb," Rachel said excitedly.

"Well I know _that_," House laughed. "Which story are we doing this time? Tropical beach, grand hotel, what?"

Rachel laughed, too. "Beach!" she squealed.

XXX

Thirteen never imagined that she'd be kissing Chase.

She never thought she'd be doing it right after she broke up with her girlfriend, either.

She also never thought that they'd find their way to her bedroom, clothes coming off in the process. Falling into the bed.

She never imagined that it'd feel so good to have Chase on top of her, his warm body on her, in her. She never imagined that she'd be doing this _sober._

She couldn't deny that she'd had feelings for Chase for a while now. She'd denied it before, but she kept going back to wanting him. So when Cameron had broken up with her, as upset as she'd been, she couldn't help but to think of the possibilities that lay ahead for Chase and herself.

It felt good to have someone beside her who she knew wouldn't leave when she started to get sick.

She breathed heavily and very fast, reveling in the moments that they were sharing together before they had to come back and face reality. She didn't want to face what would happen in a few minutes.

However, that time came. With a quickness.

Chase rolled off of her and onto his back, both of them continuing to breathe heavily. She rolled over onto her side and placed a hand on his chest.

They laid in wait, listening to each other breathe.

Then reality came crashing down.

"Rem?" Chase breathed.

"Hmm?" Thirteen responded. She kept her eyes closed.

"What'd we just do?" he asked.

"I believe that was sex, Chase," Thirteen answered sarcastically. "Unless you want to call it something else."

He sat silently for a number of minutes. Then: "I'm so sorry."

Thirteen stared at him, wide-eyed. "What'd you just say?" she asked slowly. "Why did you just apologize to me, Chase?"

"I took advantage of you," he said. "I didn't mean to, but I did. I was just so caught up in the moment, and I'm so sorry."

"Don't," Thirteen scolded. "Don't apologize. Because I was, too. I got caught up, too. So please, don't apologize. I, for one, enjoyed every moment."

Chase laughed, alleviating the tense atmosphere. "Seriously" he asked. "You seriously enjoyed that?"

Thirteen laughed with him. "Enjoy your little ego boost, Chase. Enjoy it." She smiled.

Chase sighed. "So…." He said.

"So…."

"Where do we go from here?" he asked.

Thirteen was quiet for a few moments. "I don't know," she finally said. "I want to go forward with this. But give me a few days to clear my head and think about it? And so that I don't look like a slut when I bounce from one person to another in the span of a day?"

Chase laughed again. "Definitely," he said. "We wouldn't want that, now, would we?"

XXX

"Look who's come back to work!" House said, feigning excitement.

Chase rolled his eyes, and Thirteen retorted, "If I heard correctly, you took the day off, too."

"And who told you that?" House asked. He propped his feet up on the desk.

Chase looked at Foreman. "He calls us every time you're not out to figure out where you are."

"Even if you're in work?" House asked. He was genuinely interested.

"Yup," Thirteen confirmed.

"Now, why is that, Foreman?" House asked. "Because you realize that you depend on me now? Because it sure as hell took a while."

"Shut up, House," Foreman came back.

"Ouch, that hurt," House said without affect. "Go find me a case. You too, bitesize."

Foreman and Taub left the room.

"Now, Thirteen," House said. "About that girlfriend of yours—."

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me," Thirteen said, throwing her hands up. "Really? You're going to bring that up the second I get back to work?"

"Technically it's not the second you got back to work," House pointed out.

This irritated Thirteen even more. "Leave it alone, House, seriously," she said. "Go deal with your own damn problems."

"This is my problem," House said simply.

"How so?"

"Because he can't have you distracted while working on cases because you're thinking about your ex-girlfriend," Chase chimed in.

Thirteen looked at Chase, and then back at House. "Don't worry, that won't be a problem at all."

XXX

House strolled into Cuddy's office after his little confrontation with Thirteen and Chase. He sat in the chair across from her and stared. "I don't' know about you, but I'm enjoying the view."

"House, shut up," Cuddy said, allowing a bit of malice to layer her words. "Seriously."

"How are you still mad at me?" House asked. "I thought we discussed this earlier!"

He thought back to that morning, when Cuddy had discovered the bottle of pills and found that some were missing. He'd confessed that he'd taken a couple Vicodin when they'd first started their relationship. This resulted in a shouting match and Cuddy storming out of the room angrily, leaving House all alone.

"How does me shouting 'You're an idiot' and storming out sound like we settled things, House?" she asked. "Damn, you really _are_ dense!"

"And I told you that I'd only done it when we first started out!" House retorted. "Never since! I'm not as stupid as you think I am!"

"You still took them!"

"I WAS IN PAIN!" House shouted loudly. He knew that the nurses were staring into the office, but at this point he didn't care. "Ibuprofen doesn't do anything! And I haven't taken any since!"

"You could've been high in front of my child!"

"But I wasn't! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Cuddy slammed her hands on the desk and then pointed to the door. "Get out of my office. Get out."

"We have to talk about this!"

"Get out!"

House eased himself up and headed to the door. "I'm coming over tonight. If you don't want your kid to hear us shouting, you'd better get Wilson to take her." He opened the door and slammed it behind him.

XXX

"What's going on with you two?" Foreman asked, looking pointedly at Chase and Thirteen.

"What are you talking about?" Thirteen asked, looking around Chase and into Foreman's eyes.

"Well, first, we're supposed to be MRI-ing this patient," Foreman said. "And second, you and Cameron just broke up and you're already over it. I just don't get it."

"'MRI-ing' isn't a word," Chase pointed out.

"And don't worry about how I feel, Foreman," Thirteen said. "I'm fine. Leave it alone."

"He's got a point," Taub said.

Thirteen and Chase stared at him. "Shut up," they both said.

House burst into the room then. "I see you've found a patient," he said. "What's wrong with 'im?"

"Her," Chase corrected. "Unexplained bleeding in the abdomen, painful headaches, and constant fatigue."

"Well then why are you doing an MRI?" House asked. He was obviously very upset about something, but the team couldn't put a finger on it.

"The headaches," Thirteen said. "I thought it was obvious!"

"You okay, House?" Chase asked.

House stared. "I need to go," he said before turning on his heel and hurrying out.

Chase looked at Thirteen. "What the hell was that about?" he asked.

"Who knows?"

"He's probably having problems with Cuddy again," Foreman said. "Don't worry about it. Are any of you finding anything on these scans?"

"I've got nothing here," Taub said.

"She's seizing," Thirteen said with urgency. She jumped up and ran to get the patient out of the machine.

XXX

"I need you to watch Rachel," Cuddy said when she stormed into Wilson's office after the spat with House earlier.

"When, tonight?" Wilson asked. "How come?"

"I need to talk to House," Cuddy said simply.

"And you need me to take Rach because…?"

"It's going to get ugly," Cuddy said. "I don't want her to hear anything."

"What makes you think it's going to get ugly?"

Cuddy sighed. "Why are you repeating everything I'm saying?" she asked.

Wilson waited for an answer.

"Because I got a little preview back in my office a couple minutes ago," Cuddy answered. "That's how I know. Can you please just take her for the night?"

"Sure," Wilson said. "But I've got one more question."

Cuddy stared at him. "What other questions could you possibly have?" she asked, clearly getting exasperated.

"What'd he do this time?" Wilson asked her.

"He took Vicodin."

Wilson's jaw dropped. "What? When?"

"When we were first starting out," Cuddy answered. "I found a bottle of pills."

"Well when are you planning on talking to him?"

"Whenever he comes over," Cuddy said. "I don't know when that'll be, but whenever he comes over is when we'll talk."

"What time should I come get Rach, then?"

"Um, whenever you finish work," Cuddy said. "I'll be home at about 5:30 or so."

"Okay, that's fine," Wilson said. "And you'll come to pick her before work tomorrow? Or should I bring her to you?"

"I can come get her," Cuddy said. "Thank you, Wilson."

He stood up and hugged her tightly. "It'll be all right, Lisa," he said. "House'll come to his senses soon enough."

Cuddy smiled. "I sure as hell hope so."

XXX

"So what's the deal with you two?" Foreman asked as he, Thirteen, and Chase exited the hospital that night."

"What do you mean?" Chase asked.

"Thirteen should still be upset," Foreman pressed.

"Oh, hell," Thirteen said. "You're still on that? Just let it go, Foreman, I'm fine!"

"Why do you care, anyway?" Chase threw in.

"I just find it a little suspicious, that's all."

Thirteen started to walk away, Chase on her heels. "Good night, Dr. Foreman," she said pointedly. Foreman stared at the two of them as they walked away.

"Do you think he knows?" Chase asked as they walked to his car.

"Knows what?" Thirteen asked. "That I'm thinking about dating you?"

"Exactly that."

"I'm not too sure, honestly," Thirteen said. "But don't let it get to you. For now you're just helping me out with a difficult breakup."

Chase smiled. "So, am I taking you back to your place?" he asked.

"Yup," Thirteen responded. "You can stay for a bit if you'd like, we could watch a movie."

"Works for me!"

XXX

House came over to Cuddy's about an hour after Wilson picked Rachel up. She opened the door and let him in without a word. She then proceeded to walk into her living room and sit back on the couch. "So," she said. "Talk."

"Are you actually going to listen to me this time?" House asked. When he got no response, he said, "It was only once. I had a moment of weakness and it'll never happen again."

"You make it sound like you cheated on me," Cuddy said. She laughed bitterly. "Go on."

"I don't understand why you don't believe me," House said.

"You kept the drugs in my home!" Cuddy shouted. "How do I know that you don't take them every time you come over here? My daughter could have gotten into them. And what the hell happens then? I have to take her to the hospital to get her stomach pumped. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You can't outgrow an addiction automatically, Cuddy!" House shouted. "You can't! It's not possible! And you know what? I'd forgotten that I kept them here. But I kept them out of Rachel's reach, her sight! And there's always the chance that I'll relapse. It never goes away. And for me it's high, because I used for so long! So yes, I relapsed. Once. One time! And I didn't do it again. You know why? Because I have you. I finally have you. And if I didn't, I'd be screwed, because I'd be that same idiot that I was before I got off the drugs."

"I know you can't outgrow an addiction, House, don't think that I don't! But I can't run the risk of having you high around my child!"

"Cuddy! Did you _not_ listen to a single word that I just said? I love you, Cuddy, I do. And I would _never_ do anything to compromise something that I already don't deserve. Why the hell would I risk that?"

Cuddy jumped up and threw her arms in the air. "Because you're unpredictable, House!" she shouted. "You're fucking unpredictable!"

House forced her arms to her sides and sat her on the couch. "I understand that," he said slowly. "But I wouldn't risk this. I wouldn't risk _you. _Now, tell me that you flushed the pills.

Cuddy nodded slowly, and House noticed that she had tears in her eyes. "I want to give you a chance, House," she said, stumbling over the words. "I really do."

"So do it," House said. "Go to my apartment and look in my bathroom. There's one more bottle in there, and no others in the house. Flush them down the toilet, then search the rest of the house, but I promise you that you won't find any more. After you do that, then you can give me a chance."

Cuddy looked at him. "Are you being serious right now?" she asked.

House stood and retrieved her keys, giving them to her. "I'll be right here," he said, sitting on the couch. "Promise."

Cuddy slowly stood and looked at him before walking out the door and to her car.

XXX

Cuddy entered House's apartment slowly, shutting the door quietly behind her. She had no idea why she was being silent, but at this point it didn't matter.

She made her way to House's bathroom, walking slowly and gingerly. She opened the bathroom door and walked in. She took the mirror off the wall and searched the carved-out hold in the wall, not finding anything. She then searched in the shower behind the bathtub, also not finding anything.

She finally looked under the sink, and that's where she found the Vicodin. She took the bottle out of the cabinet and dumped the pills out into her hands, counting them and becoming elated when she discovered that he hadn't taken a single pill from the bottle. She dumped the pills into the toilet and flushed them, standing up.

She quickly scanned the rest of the apartment, happy not to find anything, before quickly exiting and making her way back to the car.

She drove with a huge smile on her face, tears of happiness streaming down her face as she continued to think about the fact that House hadn't lied to her. He'd told the truth. And while she couldn't deny the fact that House had already relapsed once, had hid the bottle at her house, he'd made sure that it wasn't in front of her Rachel, and it hadn't really been in front of her, either.

She reached her home in no time at all, and quickly rushed up the stairs and unlocked the door, rushing inside. She ran to where House continued to sit and hugged him tightly. "I love you," she said. "Thank you."

"I told you so," House said.

"Oh, shut up," Cuddy said. "Thank you for not lying to me."

"Don't get used to it," House joked.

"I think I will," Cuddy said.

"Hmm," House said. "Are you going to go get Rachel now?"

"Tomorrow," Cuddy said, giving House a kiss.

He smiled. "I take it you've forgiven me?" he joked.

"Yup," Cuddy said.

"Well," House continued, "let me go get dinner started before anything happens."

"That'd be a good idea," Cuddy said. She didn't release him.

"If I'm going to start dinner, you've got to let me go," House said.

"In a few minutes."

They fell asleep in those few minutes.

XXX

Chase and Thirteen ended up kissing on her couch. A movie was playing, but neither of them was paying attention.

"You've got to admit, this is kind of fun," Chase said when he pulled away.

Thirteen laughed. "I never denied that," she responded.

"How it end up like this again?" Chase asked her.

"'Cause we're sex-crazed fools?" Thirteen suggested. "Don't question it, just go with it."

"Oh, I'm not," Chase said.

Thirteen laughed. "You're hilarious," she told him.

"Thanks."

"So," Thirteen started. "How long have you liked me, Chase?"

He stared at her with wide eyes. "What?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"How long have you liked me, Chase?" Thirteen repeated.

He sat silent for a moment. "About a month or so," he responded.

"And you never told me _because_?" she pressed.

"Because you were dating Cameron," Chase stated as though it was obvious. "Why would I tell you something like that when you were dating someone else? Especially someone who used to be my wife?"

"I guess you've got a point," Thirteen said.

"I'd hope so," Chase said.

"You're a nice guy, Chase," Thirteen said with a yawn.

He smiled. "Go to sleep," he said. "I'll be here, promise."

"I'm holding you to that," Thirteen said. "Night, Chase."

"Night, Rem," he responded.

XXX

** I don't know if this chapter is all that great, but it /was/ long, huh? XDD I needed a return to long chapters. Sorry it took so long, by the way. I had writers block for a while, and some personal issues that I had to deal with. But I've already started with Chapter 18, so be looking forward to that soon! I love you all, thanks for reading 3**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"How long was I out?" Cuddy asked House, who was no longer in the room. She got up and met him in her kitchen.

"About two hours," House said. "I made you dinner."

"What'd you make?" Cuddy asked, sitting at the table.

"Chicken fried rice."

"Again?"

"It's better than the last time I made it," House said. He spooned a serving onto a plate and placed it in front of her. "Try it!"

She stared at him before taking a bite. "It is better," she agreed. "What'd you do to it this time?"

"A chef never reveals his secrets," House said, fixing his own plate. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."

"Thank you," Cuddy said.

"Stop thanking me, it's not needed," House replied.

"Just being polite," Cuddy said. "Maybe I'll teach you sometime."

"Not needed," House repeated.

Cuddy just smiled. "I'm sorry I blew up at you like I did," she said. "It was unnecessary."

"It's fine, I probably deserved it," House relented.

"No, you didn't," Cuddy said. "I was just acting like a scared mother."

"As well you should," House replied.

"Doesn't mean I don't still love you," Cuddy said. She ate another spoonful of the dish the House had made.

"You better!" House joked.

"And if I didn't?" Cuddy asked. She got up and placed her now-clean plate in the sink and turned around to find House behind her, smiling.

"Then this'd be extremely awkward," he said as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck.

"Hmm," Cuddy hummed. "I'm inclined to agree." She was instantly breathless.

"I'd hope so," House said, "because I really wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon."

"I don't want you to," Cuddy responded, her voice falling to a whisper. She kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him to her.

The two of them fumbled their way back to her bedroom, leaving clothes strewn on the floor marking their path.

Once in her room, House picked Cuddy up, which prompted her to say, "House—your leg."

"It's fine," he said, laying her gently on the bed. "I'm fine."

Cuddy smiled as she pulled him onto her. "Well, that's good to know."

XXX

"Chase?" Thirteen said groggily when she woke up. She noticed that he, too, had fallen asleep.

She stretched her arms out in front of her head and stood up, placing a pillow under Chase's head before she moved to the kitchen.

She fixed herself a pot of coffee and looked at the time—1:06 am. Groaning, she leaned back against the island in the middle of her kitchen and waited for the coffee to finish. She felt Chase's arms wrap around her.

"Why are you making coffee this early?" he asked her.

"I don't know," Thirteen said. "We can date, but don't tell anyone about it right now. Especially not anyone on the team."

Chase was silent for a moment. "Why are you telling me this now?" he finally asked. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"I told you that I'd think about it," Thirteen said. "And I thought about it."

She felt Chase lean his forehead on the back of her head. "Well that's good news for me," he said with a slight chuckle.

"You're funny, Chase," Thirteen replied.

"Thanks. And you do realize that you're not going to be able to go to sleep now, right?"

"Oh well. I'll just watch TV or something."

"And be tired as anything at work?" Chase asked, reaching for the now-finished pot of coffee. He poured them both a cup.

"Oh well," Thirteen responded. "I'm used to it."

Chase laughed. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going back to sleep so that I'll be awake tomorrow." He headed back to the couch.

"Even after having coffee?" Thirteen called.

"Yup. 'Night, Rem!"

Thirteen laughed quietly. "'Night, Chase."

XXX

"I'm not tired," Cuddy laughed as she collapsed back onto the bed. She looked at the time and saw that it was nearing two in the morning.

"Me neither," House breathed.

"I have to be up in four hours," Cuddy said with another laugh.

"No yoga?"

"I don't do yoga everyday," Cuddy told him. "And plus, I've been getting a much more vigorous exercise these past couple months."

"Oh ho ho." House's feigned laughing made Cuddy laugh even more, which prompted him to say, "I'm seriously not that funny."

"Sure you are," Cuddy said, looking into House's deep blue eyes.

"If you say so." He wrapped his arms around her. "Try to go to sleep?"

"I told you," Cuddy said. "I'm not tired."

"Well we can't have you falling asleep at work," House said. "You wouldn't be able to sign off on my potentially dangerous medical procedures."

"They're not 'potentially dangerous,'" Cuddy said. "They're definitely dangerous. And do you even have a patient right now?"

"I do, actually," House said. "28-year-old female."

"What's wrong with her?"

House looked sideways at Cuddy. "Why do you want to know?" he asked her, sounding skeptical.

"It might put me to sleep."

"I hope you never admit that at work," House laughed. "There'd be a mutiny and I wouldn't be inclined to help you through."

"Thanks," Cuddy said sarcastically. "Now, tell me what's wrong with her!"

"Someone's pushy," House teased. "She has unexplained abdominal bleeding, headaches, and constant fatigue."

Cuddy yawned. "See?" she said. "Makes me tired!"

"Then go to sleep, I'll be here."

"You won't run away to Wilson's house and watch monster trucks?" Cuddy joked.

"Nope, Rachel's there!"

"Because that's such a bad thing."

"It is!"

"House," Cuddy said, "I see the way you smile when you play with her, or just spend any time with her."

House looked at her again. "You spy on me?"

"Not my fault," Cuddy said, yawning again. "You play with her for hours, I run out of things to do!"

"Sure you do," House said. "Loser."

Cuddy shifted, leaning on him. "Shut up and get some sleep," she commanded.

"Don't tell me what to do."

"My house, my rules."

"To hell with the rules," House said theatrically, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Of course you'd say that," Cuddy remarked. She smiled and pressed herself closer to him. "'Night, House."

"Goodnight, voluptuous one," House said, enjoying the feel or her laughing against him.

XXX

When Thirteen woke up again, she found Chase's arms wrapped around her tightly, hugging her to him. She laid there and smiled, enjoying the feeling of having someone beside her.

She didn't know how long she laid there before Chase woke up. It seemed like a long time.

He pulled her even closer, burying his head in her hair. "What time is it?" he asked.

She smiled. "About eight," she said.

He kissed her neck. "How do you feel about going in today?" he asked.

"We're in the middle of a case," Thirteen said, breathless as he continued to kiss her. "I can't just leave the patient when we have no idea what's wrong."

"I like that," Chase said.

"Hmm? What is it you like?"

"That you care so much," Chase said. "It's admirable."

"Thanks," Thirteen said with a hint of sarcasm.

"What? I'm serious!"

"Okay, Chase."

"Stop beating yourself up, Rem," Chase said. "Caring is a good thing, trust me. Especially with someone like you, who comes across as abrasive."

"I'm abrasive?" Thirteen asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No," Chase refuted. "I said you come across as abrasive, not that you _are_ abrasive. There's a difference."

"Way to redeem yourself, Chase," Thirteen said. She stood up, ruffling her hair.

"Where're you going?" Chase asked as he sat up.

"I need to shower," Thirteen said. Catching Chase's gaze, she said, "And no, you can't come with me. Watch something on TV and wait." He laughed.

XXX

Wilson woke up to the sound of his buzzer ringing. Wondering who could be at his door so early in the morning, he remembered that he had taken Rachel for the night. He quickly stood up and ran out of his room, going to answer the door. When he threw it open, he was surprised to see House standing there.

"I take it you and Cuddy made up?" Wilson said. "But why are you here?"

"I wore Cuddy out last night and she overslept," House said smartly. "Where's Rach?"

"She's back in your old bedroom," Wilson said. He followed House back to the room where Rachel slept and watched as House gently woke her up and dressed her, packing up her tiny overnight bag with precision. House picked the girl up and exited the room.

"What?" he asked when he found Wilson staring at him.

"You are _really_ good with her," Wilson remarked. "Where'd you learn to be like that? It's unlike you."

"It's not like I want to lose Cuddy," House shifted the girl on his hip and continued. "I need to be good with her. And she's kind of smart."

"How'd you get Cuddy to forgive you?" Wilson asked, disregarding House's last remark.

"Told her to search my apartment and get rid of the last bottle of pills that I had in the bathroom."

Wilson considered this. "You're a good guy, House," he said finally. "I know you might not think so, but you are."

"Are you done with the philosophy, Wilson?" House asked.

"Is it truly philosophy?"

"Goodbye, Wilson." House opened the door and quickly walked out.

Wilson smirked a little smirk and shut the door behind House, walking off to prepare for work.

XXX

** So, yes, short chapter. Well. FOR ME SYDNEY. IT'S A SHORT CHAPTER FOR ME. Euuugh, 1600 words? This'll never happen again. Anyway. It's so short because I needed to post for a reason. I promised Sydney (partypantscuddy) that I'd update before I leave for FRACNE. That's right :D I'm going to France, this Wednesday. Anyway, that's enough outta me, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I'll update once I get home! Je t'aime. Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"House?" Cuddy said groggily when she woke up. She felt beside her and was disheartened not to find him next to her.

Then she heard a little giggle.

Smiling, she climbed out of the bed and wrapped a robe around her body. She put slippers on her feet and padded out of her room, stopping in the doorway to the living room.

Cuddy smiled even bigger when she saw House playing with her daughter in the floor. House looked at her quickly before turning his attention back to the toys in the floor. He picked up a Ken doll and put it in the Barbie Dream House.

"When did Wilson drop her off?" Cuddy asked as she moved to sit on the couch.

"He didn't," House said. "I went and picked her up."

"You did?" Cuddy asked, somewhat astonished. "Why?"

"Because you were still sleeping and we have to work soon." He pointed to the clock, which read 7:31am.

Cuddy stood again. Before going to get dressed, she said, "Thanks. You're a good guy."

"Why do you two keep insisting on that?"

"What do you mean, 'you two'?" Cuddy asked.

"You and Wilson!" House said. He stood up, took Rachel into his arms, and followed Cuddy back to her bedroom, sitting on the bed as she walked into her bathroom.

"Did Wilson say that, too?" Cuddy called. "Seems great minds think alike, huh?"

"I think you two are plotting against me," House stated.

Cuddy poked her head out. "What makes you say that?" she asked.

"You're always talking to each other when I'm not there," House said with a laugh. "It's awfully shifty."

"Okay, House," Cuddy said. She shut the door and started up the shower.

House looked down at Rachel, who was staring up at him from the bed. "House," she said, pointing at him and smiling.

"That's my name," House responded. "Don't wear it out."

Rachel giggled. "House!" she said again.

"How many times are you going to say my name?" House asked.

"House!"

"If you say it again, I'll tickle you."

"House!" This time she dragged out the word.

"You asked for it!" House said mock-threateningly. He began to tickle the little girl, laughing as soon as she started to.

"Stop, Housie!" Rachel said through a giggle. "Stop!"

"What's the magic word?" House teased, tickling her harder.

"Pwease?" she giggled. "Pwease stop."

House stopped and Rachel was able to twist out of his grasp. "Now I tickle you!" she giggled as she pounced on House and started to tickle his stomach.

"No, no, no!" House said. "Stop!

"Magic word?" Rachel demanded.

"Please stop?" House asked, putting on an innocent face. He heard the shower stop.

"Okie!" Rachel shouted. She hopped off of the bed and stood by the side of it.

Cuddy came out of the bathroom then, wrapped in a towel. Rachel ran to her mother and said, "House tickled me!" She pointed to him.

"Is that true?" Cuddy laughed. She sat on the bed next to House.

"She kept saying my name!" House said, putting an innocent look on his face. "I warned her. And plus, she tickled me, too!"

"Sure she did," Cuddy said.

"Tell her, Rach!" House said, looking pointedly.

Rachel stared at her mother with doe-eyes. "No, I didn't, Mama!" She shook her head vigorously.

"You little liar!" House said. He narrowed his eyes. "I taught you well."

Rachel nodded and jumped onto the bed. "Mhm!"

"You taught my daughter to lie?" Cuddy fake-scolded.

"Somebody had to!" House said innocently.

Cuddy slapped his arm lightly, then pecked his lips. "Go get ready for work.

XXX

"You ready to go, Rem?" Chase called from the hallway. "You're taking forever."

"Oh, shut up, Chase!" Thirteen said. "I'll be right out."

"If you say so." Chase went back to the kitchen and got a cup of orange juice from the sparsely filled refrigerator. He sat back and waited for Thirteen.

She came out about five minutes later and joined Chase in the kitchen. "Where'd you find that juice?" she asked. "I didn't think I had anymore."

"Back of the fridge," Chase said. "You need more food."

"Why would I get more food when I'm never home?" Thirteen pushed herself off the counter and grabbed her keys.

"Sometimes you take the day off," Chase said. "You going to drive me home on the way to the hospital?"

"Yup," Thirteen said. "You ready?"

Chase placed his cup in the sink. "Yeah," he said. "Let's go."

The two walked out of her apartment. Chase took her hand as they entered the elevator, placing a light kiss on her cheek.

"You're amazing, Chase," Thirteen said. She pressed the button for the lobby.

"I could say the same about you."

"Don't lie to me, Chase," Thirteen said. She squeezed his hand.

"I would never."

Thirteen laughed. "Okay, Chase," she said. "You better come to work today."

The elevator stopped, and the pair stepped out. "Why would I not?" Chase asked. "I have no reason to stay home."

Thirteen smiled and kissed him. "Good!" she said.

XXX

"Are you ready, House?" Cuddy asked. "You're like a woman, you take so long."

"Shut up, woman, I'm showering!" House called back.

Cuddy laughed and sat down to play with her daughter and her Barbies. All of a sudden, however, she heard a crash, and then heard House shout, "God damn it to hell!"

She was up in a flash, and ran to the bathroom where House was showering. She threw open the door and found him laying in the tub with a stream of blood coming from his head.

"House, what happened?" she shouted. She rushed and grabbed a hand towel, pressing it to House's head.

"Slipped," he said with a hiss. "Fuck."

Cuddy took the rag off and looked at the gash. "I'm taking you to the ER," she said with a tone of finality.

"Are you kidding me?" House said. He tried to stand, but quickly buckled and fell, grabbing for his leg.

"Nope," Cuddy said. "Damn it, House, how the hell did you fall that hard?"

"Don't know, but it hurts like hell," he replied. "If you insist on taking me to PPTH, you're going to have to help me."

Cuddy sighed and bent down, taking House's arm and putting it around her shoulders. She gently eased him up and wrapped a towel around him. But he stopped them from leaving.

"I'm not letting anyone else but you see me naked," he explained with a smirk. "I need those pants. And that shirt."

Cuddy sighed and took the clothing from the rack that they were sitting on, and waited for House to get dressed before they could go anywhere. Finally, they got out of the bathroom and moved toward the door.

Cuddy heard a little gasp, followed by Rachel saying, "Housie hurt!"

"I know I am, Rach," House said soothingly. "Come on, you've got to come to the hospital with Mama and me."

Rachel nodded fiercely and ran ahead of them. She reached up (on her toes) and opened the door for the two. "Thanks, Rach," House said, ruffling her hair.

The three made their way to the car and climbed in, with Cuddy gently placing House in the back.

"House," Cuddy said as she drove off. "I need you to text Marina and tell her to pick Rach up from the hospital."

"I don't have her number," House stated simply.

Cuddy threw her phone to him in the back and said, "Text."

"Fine, boss lady," House said.

She heard him clicking at the keys, composing the text to Marina. "Sent," he said.

"Good. Now don't move around so much. And you're still bleeding."

House touched his forehead and frowned when his fingers came away red. "How many stitches do you think I'll need?"

"Not many," Cuddy said.

"Don't lie to me, Cuddles," House said. "This gash is huge."

"Okay, maybe fifteen," Cuddy said with a sigh. "What the hell did you do to yourself?"

"I told you, I slipped," House repeated.

"I know that," Cuddy said, "but what'd you hit on the way down?"

"That basket of shampoos that you keep in there," House said. "Very painful, let me tell you."

"I'm sorry," Cuddy said with a slight laugh.

"Just tell me that we're almost there." Cuddy could hear House trying to mask the pain in his voice.

"About five minutes out," she said. "Stop acting like you're not in pain, please."

"Who says I'm in pain?" House asked.

"I can hear it in your voice," Cuddy responded. "And don't say I can't, because I've known you for years and I know the changes in your vocal patterns."

"You sly little fox," House said. Through the pain, Cuddy thought she heard pride and admiration.

She smiled and said, "We're here," before stopping the car and opening the door. She spied Marina and waved before opening the door. "Rach," she said, "say bye to House and go to Marina."

Rachel climbed over to House. "Bye, House!" she said happily before kissing his cheek and bounding over to Marina. The nanny smiled and led the child away.

Cuddy stared at House. "You let her kiss you on the cheek?" she asked incredulously.

"Don't let the fact that I have more than one woman in my life bother you," House said. "Now, you going to get me out or what?"

Cuddy laughed. "You've got to sit up first," she said.

House eased himself up with a wince and reached his arm out like a helpless child. Cuddy replaced his arm around her shoulder and helped him up. Together they walked to the doors of the ER.

"House, what the hell?" they heard Wilson shout.

"Damn," House muttered under his breath.

"Wilson, what're you doing here?" Cuddy asked. "I thought you'd be in oncology with the kids."

"I'm going later," he responded in a dismissive tone. "What'd you do?" he directed at House.

"I slipped," House responded.

Wilson sighed. "Come with me," he said with a dramatic sigh. He led the two to a bed in the ER.

"So what exactly did you do to yourself?" he asked after he'd drawn the curtain. He gave Cuddy a wipe, and she pressed it to House's gash.

"Why would I tell you that?" House asked.

"Because I'm your attending," Wilson responded.

"I'm still not te—"

"He slipped in the shower and messed up his leg," Cuddy said. "And hit his head on the way down."

"Seriously?" Wilson asked. He was going to laugh, but House shot him a glare.

"Just shut up and fix me so I can get back to work," he said grudgingly.

XXX

"You guys are still acting weird," Taub told Chase and Thirteen in the conference room a few minutes after they arrived.

"And you're still annoying!" Thirteen said. "Seriously, shut up. If you're allowed to secretly fuck your ex-wife, I'm allowed to talk to my best friend."

Chase, Foreman, and Taub stared at Thirteen, dumbfounded. Chase broke the silence, saying, "Come with me." He grabbed her hand and led her out of the room.

They walked to the lounge, which fortunately was empty, and Chase sat Thirteen down in the hidden corner before sitting next to her.

"First," he said. "That was _awesome_."

Thirteen laughed. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"Second," Chase continued. "Where the _hell_ did that come from?"

"I'm fed up with him telling us we're acting weird!" Thirteen said. "I mean, seriously. Goddamn, are two people not allowed to talk?"

Chase put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "Calm down," he said. "I know it's annoying, trust me. I want to punch him again. But I don't. Just calm down, and tell me when you're ready to go back."

The two sat and talked for a few more minutes before Thirteen declared her readiness. Chase pulled her up, gave her a quick kiss, and then let her go as they made their way back to the conference room.

"Look," Taub said when they returned. "I'm sorry."

"I seriously don't feel like dealing with you right now," Thirteen said. "Can we just get on with the case, please?" She sat at the table and put her head in her hands.

Foreman sat and said, "Patient is now seizing."

Chase's eyes widened. "Since when?" he asked.

"Two hours ago," Foreman responded. "Happening about once every half-hour."

"What's causing it?" Thirteen asked, looking at the patient's final.

"I don't know," Foreman said. "Where's House?"

"Right here," came their boss's voice from the door.

"Where have you been?" Foreman asked. "It's nearly one!"

Foreman heard Thirteen gasp, and he, along with the rest of the team, turned to find House with a row of twenty stitches on the side of his forehead and a cast on his leg. There was also a bruise blooming on his cheek. He hobbled over on his crutches.

"What happened to you?" Chase asked him.

"Don't worry about it," House said. He sat down carefully, propping the crutches on the desk. "Why do you need me?"

"The patient is having unexplained seizures," Foreman informed him.

"So explain them," House said. "Go do an LP."

Foreman and Taub left the room, and House turned to Chase and Thirteen. "How long have you two been dating?" he asked. Thirteen opened her mouth to respond, but House added, "Don't deny it, 'cause it's obvious."

"About a week," Chase said.

"Damn, Chase," House said. "As soon as you're done with her, you're going to move on to Foreman and Taub!"

"Shut up, House," Chase said, exasperated.

House just laughed. "Go pick up my meds. Thirteen, clinic hours."

XXX

House hobbled his way down to Wilson's office and slammed his crutch against the door before remembering that he was with the kids. House then made his way down the hallway to the oncology suite. He spied Wilson reading to some of the children and made his way to sit next to him.

"And the princess lived happily ever after, the end!" Wilson finished. As the kids laughed, Wilson whispered, "What are you doing here? I thought Cuddy told you to go home."

"Didn't feel like it," House said.

"But she took you home."

"And I took a cab right back."

Wilson sighed. "So now you're going to hide out all day?" he asked.

"I'm going to work on my case," House said. "If she sees me, she sees me."

"She's going to be pissed." Wilson stood and grabbed House's crutches.

House stood carefully. "I know how to make her happy," he said in a half-suggestive, half-serious tone.

Wilson laughed. "I don't need to know about your sexual exploits," he said. "Seriously."

"But you want to," House replied. "Where're we going, anyway?"

"Cuddy's office," Wilson stated.

House stared at him, wide-eyed. "Why're you going there?"

"Nothing better to do," Wilson said. "And I need to get approval for a biopsy."

"Hm," House said. "Shouldn't be so bad."

"You talking about me getting approval or you dying?"

"Oh, Wilson," House said. "Ever the pessimist."

The pair arrived at the elevator, and Wilson pressed the button. It opened to reveal Chase and Thirteen. Chase held out the bottle of pills to House and said, "This is a month's supply—it'll last about a week." Thirteen snorted.

"Oh ho," House said. "You think you're funny. Move."

Chase and Thirteen stepped out of the elevator and moved aside so that House and Wilson could take their places. The doors closed in front of them, and they started down to the lobby.

"When Cuddy yells at you, I'm going to laugh," Wilson said as they descended.

"And then she'll snap at you for laughing," House replied. "It's a double-edged sword."

The doors opened, and the two exited together before Wilson stopped and stared. "You're an idiot," he said.

"Oh, shut up," House replied.

They headed to her office, and Wilson held the door open for House. They passed through the second door and into the office. House silently sat on the couch.

Cuddy didn't look up from her paperwork. ""What do you need?" she asked.

"Permission to do a lung biopsy," Wilson responded.

Cuddy lifted her head and motioned for the file. She froze when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Livid, she said, "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing here? I took you home!"

"I can't sit there all day," House said simply.

"You're hopped up on pain pills!" Cuddy said. "And how'd you get back here, anyway?"

"Took a cab," House said. "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine."

Cuddy sighed. "Why didn't you just stay home?" she asked. "You could've played with Rach! You could've slept!"

House stood up, crutched his way to her desk, and kissed her deeply. "Don't worry about me," he said. "I'll be fine." And he left the office.

Cuddy signed Wilson's file and handed it back to him.

"Thanks," he said. He started to walk to the door.

"Hey, Wilson?" Cuddy called as he turned the knob.

"Hmm?" he said.

"Laugh at something like that again, and I'll suspend you," she said. "And that's a promise."

XXX

**Okay. I'm ending this chapter because it was getting entirely too long, even for me xDD It was originally much longer than this but… it would've ended up being well over 5000 words and I couldn't do that. And plus, you guys haven't seen a new chapter in almost a month. And while I know that no one reads this story, I still like to update in a timely manner. And Sydney told me to end it. So, here's the new chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Why do you think House didn't have us do anything with the patient?" Chase asked Thirteen back in the conference room.

"LP only requires two people, if that," Thirteen replied. "Just don't worry about it. We have a chance to relax. Take it." She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.

"You are a genius," Chase said with a laugh.

"Thanks."

The two sat in silence for several minutes. When Chase opened his eyes, he saw that Thirteen had fallen asleep. He smiled slightly—she looked so peaceful.

However, that peace was short-lived, because House came into the room. He slammed his crutch forcefully on the back of Thirteen's chair, causing her to wake with a jump. "Why are you sleeping?" he asked. "Go check out the patient's house."

With a yawn, Thirteen stood up and followed Chase out of the room.

House headed into his office and sat down in the chair by the bookshelf, leaning back. He'd tried to ignore the pain in his broken leg, but it was starting to get much worse. He popped two of his pain pills and closed his eyes.

Cuddy walked into the office a few minutes later and sat at the foot of the chair. "How's it feel?" she asked.

"Like hell," House said. "What're you doing here?"

"I had nothing to do," Cuddy said. "I was going to try to get you to go home, but I realized that it was a lost cause."

"As long as you know that," House said.

He sat up and scooted over, patting the space next to him. Cuddy sat beside him and laid her head on his chest.

"You're impossible," she told him with a heavy sigh. She closed her eyes.

"So I've been told," House said. "Yet you find a way to deal with me. Now why is that, do you think?"

"Don't know," Cuddy said. She kissed him under the chin. "I was hoping you could tell me."

"I have no explanation," House said. He pecked her lips lightly.

"Well that's not good, now is it?" Cuddy said. His cheek.

"It's not my fault that you don't know why you like me." Her earlobe.

"It is. You should be able to tell me why I like you." His nose.

"Cuddy, that made no logical sense. You should know yourself." Her neck.

Cuddy just moaned in delight and craned her neck more.

"Go lock the door," House laughed.

"Why?" Cuddy asked. "And why don't you do it?"

House looked pointedly at his cast leg, and said, "I'm not going to have my fellows walking in."

"Good point," Cuddy said. She stood.

"Make sure you lock all four," he said.

Cuddy made a point to pull the blinds as she locked the door, then came back to lay with House. She kissed him deeply on the mouth.

"I don't deserve you," House breathed.

"Shut up," she responded.

He started to say something else, but Cuddy silenced him with another kiss. He held her hips lightly and pulled her on top of him.

"Looks like this is all it's going to be for now," he said with a hint of amusement.

Cuddy kissed his neck. "Perfectly fine with that," she murmured.

House breathed out heavily. "This is something we can do here," he said with a chuckle.

"Well obviously," Cuddy said. "Still, enjoyable. But why'd you go and fall, House? Not cool."

House smirked at how much she sounded like a teenager, then kissed her breathless. "Stop worrying about it and enjoy my physical prowess." And he kissed her again.

Cuddy giggled. "Prowess?" she said. "Who said you had prowess?"

"You can't resist me," House said.

"Oh really?" Cuddy said. She started to get up, but House held firmly onto her hips. "I can't resist you if you don't let me go."

"What if I don't want to let you go?" House asked, eyebrows raised. He didn't let go of her hips.

Cuddy gave him a small smile and said, "I love you so much," before kissing him deeply. He kissed her back, letting out a small moan. She flattened her body on his and also placed her hands on his hips. House moved his lips to her neck so that she could catch her breath, but the action only made her even more breathless. She pulled his face back up to hers and gave him a sly smile before kissing him even more fiercely than before.

Cuddy's phone went off a few minutes later. "Damn it!" she said loudly as she fumbled for it. House plucked it from her back pocket and handed it to her. "Hello," she answered. "Yeah… mhm… I know that!… Oh, fine…okay, I'll be down soon. Bye."

"What's up?" House asked.

Cuddy stood, but House kept a hold on her hand. "I have to go sign off on some papers. And I have a meeting. Guy showed up early," she said. "My place?"

"I'll beat you there," House teased.

Cuddy leaned down and gave him a peck. "Like hell," she said before walking out of the room.

XXX

"LP came back clean," Foreman said when House let him in. "Why are the blinds drawn and the doors locked?"

"I feel like being moody and depressed," House said. "Find anything else when you did the LP?"

"Should I have?" Foreman asked.

"Don't know," House responded. "Run more tests."

"For what?" Taub asked.

"Whatever you haven't tested for."

Foreman and Taub left the room and were immediately replaced by Chase and Thirteen.

"Found pain meds that didn't belong to the patient," Chase said. "Indicated possible addiction or incredible pain."

"What kind of meds?" House asked.

"Percocet, Vicodin, et cetera," Thirteen said. "We also found years-expired foods and drinks, all opened and eaten recently."

"All right," House said. "Go ask the patient what she's eaten in the past week and about the pain meds. I'm going home."

"It's only five!" Chase said.

"Seen the leg?" House asked. "Going home."

Chase sighed and walked out of the room behind Thirteen.

House got up and threw on his coat, then made his way to Wilson's office. He threw open the door and found Wilson crying in front of his laptop.

"What—House?" Wilson said in surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"Why are you crying?" House asked.

"I wasn't," Wilson said. "What do you need?"

House snatched up Wilson's laptop and looked at the screen. "Really?" he said. "_Good Boy_?"

"Shut up," Wilson said. "One of my oncology kids told me to watch it. What do you need?"

"A ride to Cuddy's," House said. "You up for it?"

"Take a cab," Wilson responded.

"No money," House said. "Seriously!"

Wilson sighed, then stood up and grabbed his coat. "Let's go," he said.

The men left Wilson's office, took the elevator, and went to the parking garage to get to Wilson's car. House sat in the back to elevate his leg, and Wilson pulled out and onto the street.

"Why am I driving you?" Wilson asked once they were on their way. "You couldn't get Cuddy to?"

"I'm trying to beat her home," House said. "That's why."

"Ah," Wilson said.

"So how's she react to you laughing at me?" House asked.

"Threatened to suspend me," Wilson said.

"Told you," House said.

"Oh, shut up."

The two got to Cuddy's home a few minutes later. She didn't appear to be home. "I win," House said. "Thanks, Wilson."

"Goodbye, House," Wilson said pointedly. House got out of the car and watched Wilson drive away before crutching up to the door. He used the key above the door and unlocked it, stepping inside. He took off his coat and walked into the living room.

"Damn it!" he shouted.

Cuddy smiled at him from the couch. "You lose," she said with a smile.

"How the hell did you manage to get here before me?" he asked her with genuine interest. "I left early!"

"And I left earlier!" Cuddy said.

"You had meetings, appointments!"

"Canceled 'em."

House sighed. "Where's Rach?" he asked.

"At the park with Marina," Cuddy said. "They'll be back in an hour."

"Hmm," House said. "Go take a bath."

"What?" Cuddy asked. "Why?"

"I'm making you dinner," House explained. "Go take a bath and relax."

Cuddy stood, skeptical. "What's this for?" she asked.

He gave her a quick kiss and said, "Nothing. Just go relax." He pushed her towards her room, and she looked back and smiled before closing the door.

XXX

Cuddy was sitting on her bed, staring out the window, when suddenly she was blinded by a blindfold tied over her eyes. She gasped, startled.

"Sh," she heard House whisper. She then heard him leaf through her closet and pick something out. "I need you to stand."

Cuddy slid carefully off the bed and stood up. "What're you doing?" she asked.

"Sh," House hushed again. She felt him undo and slide down her pants, and do the same to her shirt.

"House, what are you _doing_?" Cuddy asked again.

"Shut up!" House warned. "I need you to lift your arms."

Cuddy did what House told her to do, and felt the soft fabric of a dress slide over her. House's fingers lingered by her hips before he lowered her arms.

"Can I take this off now?" Cuddy asked, pointing blindly to her blindfold.

"No," House replied. He feathered a kiss on her lips and then sat her back down. He lifted her leg and put a shoe on her food. He did the same with the other. He stood her up again and led her around the bed and out the door.

"Where're we going?" she asked as they walked.

"Don't worry," House said. "Not too much farther."

"How are you walking without crutches?" she asked next.

"What'd I tell you about worrying over me?" he responded. "Don't."

Cuddy sighed and kept walking, but House stopped her and let go. She heard him pull out a chair, and then he moved her and sat her in it. Finally, he removed the blindfold.

Cuddy gasped. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. "This is _beautiful_!"

Her dining room table was laden with flowers and candles, and there were two plates sitting across from each other. House brought over a bowl and put some salad o her plate.

"What's on this?" Cuddy asked.

"A little Italian dressing and goat cheese," House told her as he put some of the salad on his plate. He then sat down.

Cuddy ate a forkful. "This is delicious!" she said. "How do you do this so well?"

"You act like I never learned to cook," House said jokingly.

"Almost every time I'm at your apartment, we're eating TV dinners," Cuddy remarked. "You can't fault me."

"Leave me alone, woman," House chastised. "Hurry up and eat that so that I can give you the main course."

"I can only eat so fast," Cuddy said. "Give me a minute."

House just stared at her, having already finished his food.

"What're you staring at?" Cuddy asked. "Is there something on my face?" She hated how self-conscious she sounded.

"You're beautiful," House blurted before quickly busying himself.

"Oh," Cuddy said. She blushed fiercely. "Thank you. You're not too bad yourself, you know."

House laughed. "Just hurry and finish your salad."

Cuddy ate in silence before she asked, "Where's my daughter?"

"I called your sister and asked her to take care of her for a few hours," House said. "Marina took her over."

"Oh," Cuddy said. "And Julia took her?"

"After some prying," House said as he took Cuddy's now-clean plate. "She likes the kid, Lisa, don't worry about it."

"You called me Lisa," Cuddy said with a laugh. "I love that."

"Treasure it, it's not going to happen that often." He walked to the stove.

Cuddy laughed again. "Come on, now," she said. "I want my main course."

"Can I put it on the plate first?" House asked. "Damn, Cuddy, you're a little impatient tonight, huh?"

"Shut up," she said. "What do we have to drink?"

"I bought you Chardonnay," House said. "It's in the fridge. You can get it if you want, I'm not doing all the work."

Cuddy groaned dramatically and stood up, finally getting the chance to look at what House had dressed her in. She was wearing a kelly green dress that she didn't know she had and strappy gold heals. After admiring her clothing, she walked to the fridge to retrieve the Chardonnay. She slapped House's butt as he was bent down, taking food from the oven. This caused him to jump.

"The hell was that?" he asked as he took the food from the oven.

"Payback," Cuddy responded. She got the drink from the fridge and took down some glasses.

"It's not payback if you enjoy it," House said to her.

Cuddy laughed and took the glasses to the table. She carefully poured House a glass before pouring her own and sitting down. House put the final touches on the main course and then brought the plates over. He sat Cuddy's down in front of her.

She looked at the plate. "What is this?" she asked. "It looks good."

"An omelette with cooked potato slices and baked chicken with tomato and bell peppers," House said. "Please try it."

Cuddy did try the food. "House, this is so good!" she said. "Seriously!"

They talked through dinner, and Cuddy took her time eating the food. She savored the taste of the food, knowing it wouldn't be made for a while after this.

"What's all this for?" she asked as House prepared their dessert. She sipped her second glass of Chardonnay.

"Just because," House said. He brought two clear glasses over, filled with a red liquid. "Vanilla ice cream with whipped cream in a raspberry sauce."

"It sounds good," Cuddy said, taking the glass that House handed to her.

"Stop praising my cooking!" House said.

"Never." She had a wicked smile on her face.

"Little bitch," House muttered.

Cuddy shook her head and smiled wider. She ate her dessert in semi-silence. She realized that she'd have to have House cook for her more often.

"What are you thinking about?" House asked. "You're really quiet."

"You need to cook for me more often," Cuddy said. "And I'm wondering why this dinner happened."

"Don't worry about it," House said with a smirk.

Cuddy moved her mouth sideways and said, "I'm done with the dessert. It was good, too."

"Of course."

Cuddy stared at him. "You're so pompous," she said.

"You love it."

She stood up and placed her glasses in the sink. She felt House come up behind her. He, too, put his glasses in the sink, and then took her hand and said, "Come with me."

He led her into the living room and then sat her on the couch. He remained standing, however.

"What are you doing?" Cuddy asked. "Come sit with me."

House seemed to have not been able to hear her, and walked over to the bookshelf. He lifted something from the bookshelf and then turned to face her, vulnerability in his eyes.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered.

"Doing what?" Cuddy asked.

House came to sit next to her, and he put his hand on her knee. "I never thought in my right mind that I'd be doing this," he reiterated. "I'm a messed up, drug addicted, crazy old man who doesn't deserve anyone on the same level as you. But I got you. I don't know how I did, but I did. And I hope I never lose you, because I love you so much. Lisa Cuddy, will you marry me?"

XXX

** See, Syd, I told you I had something exciting planned.**

** Honestly, I don't know what the hell possessed me to write that ending. But I did. And while I was writing it, I was thinking, "Why am I writing this, what the hell am I doing?" But I did it. I don't know how you'll feel about it, so yeah. Hrm. Review! I posted twice in one day xDDD**


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